Cerebral Soldiers
by Atrophy-Conception
Summary: Four years after a tragic accident an unsolved mystery arises once more when a past rival of Ford Cruller's starts a group he calls The Cerebral Soldiers, to wage war on the Psychonauts.
1. After Four Years

Chapter One:

Four Years Past  
(Introduction/ Meeting Chitt and his future Cerebral Soldiers.)

Time flied when you were insane. It seemed like so many more years had passed then the eleven that really did. Eleven long years, put out of commission and forced to dwell in the disgraceful padded walls of an asylum, surrounded by people who treated you as though you were children. How agonizing it had been.

But he had managed. It was amazing what…power you could find in the depths of insanity. And beyond that…what answers you found. After that long wretched span of time he had found the answers he truly desired; he found out how to be free again.

And how to be sane…or, as it were…more constructively insane…which to him, was just as good.

**_Article 003492 Psychonauts database._**

_It has come to the attention of the Psychonauts that_

_as of 9:00 early yesterday morning five of our agents_

_fell into some danger while on a very important mission._

_The three senior members of the group were found earlier this_

_morning. Visibly they appear to be untouched, _

_but they prove to be mentally unresponsive. __The three found; Agents Sarah__ Mince, _

_Cecile Barone, and __Lef Diageof are currently being held in the Lennox Hill Mental faclility_

_and are showing little or no improvement at this time._

_The two young Psychonauts, who, as our sources tell us,_

_have not been heard from in the last 48 hours are 12-year-old Razputin Aquato and_

_17-year-old Katie Blythe. A report will be made if any progress_

_is made in the search for these two young soldiers._

This information sat in the records for almost two years before the search was finally called off. There was only one follow up report stating that all three of the senior agents had taken a turn for the worse and had, therefore been transferred permanently to a mental facility, where it was certain they would spend the rest of their lives.

Of the two younger agents, only Katie Blythe was found. She was not in any state to be questioned when they did find her…for, by that time she had been dead for nearly a year. Doctors determined that the cause of death was neurological, although the autopsy of her brain remained inconclusive. The case closed ten months later and it was assumed that Razputin Aquato…the youngest man ever to make the Psychonauts had met a similiar fate.

No one knew why it happened. When the case closed they went onto other things, and hoped, as humans tend to do, that it would never happen again, and that they would never have to find out what took place that morning.

Only those close to the victims continued to wonder…they never stopped being angry about it. Some more then others.

Four years passed since this occurrence. During that time the files gathered dust at the back of a large room in a government building which remained hidden even to some members of the government. For years they stayed there and no one touched them.

Until today. Today a tall man with broad shoulders made is way to the back of the large dingy room. He was dressed in black, aside from a gray turtleneck and had a slightly unhealthy complexion, associated with those who spend WAY too much time indoors doing questionable things with hazardous and unstable materials.

He went to the shelves and pulled out a box and leafed through the various folders until he found one in particular, and after he double-checked the title (Because he's just that sort of person.) he stowed it in his coat and slid the box back into place.

As he made his way back out of the room, he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it (Without ever touching a match.) then, against all 'normal' logic, it began hovering around his dark hair, only touching his lips or fingers when he needed a puff.

XXX

A man stood silently, looking through the glass of a tinted window, high above a yard might have resembled to an onlooker to that of a prison yard. (It was, in fact a school…which…to many people, isn't much different.) The man was Kellen Chitt. The school was The Chitt Learning Center For The Psychically Gifted. Behind Kellen stood two boys, estimated, disregarding their height, to be about the same age.

The boy closest to the man spoke.

"It's Stephen again, he wont make it up the wall. You have to call this off." The boy's stance suggested confidence.

The man turned slightly towards the voice. In the faint light above their heads, his silver hair was illuminated. He was tall, broad shouldered and though quite elderly he held the form of a man who was once both very powerful and very striking.

"He will make it, and if he doesn't, then he will meet the consequences for failure." He said softly.

"In this case…" The boy from the other side of the room spoke. "The consequences include a painful rope burn and a forty foot fall into a pit of barbed wire." He flashed a humorless smile at the other boy, who was looking concerned.

"Well…perhaps this will be an important lesson for him. He's a weakling. If he does not improve, he has no place on my team." The man turned back towards the glass, and focused, with entirely too much pleasure, on the young man, not over fourteen, trying desperately to climb a plastic rope with sweaty hands…and only succeeding even a little because of the fall that awaited him if he did not.

Behind him, the boy nearest moved his fingers slightly, as though they itched and glared at the back of the elder mans head. Kellen seemed to take no notice of this, but he trembled slightly, as though something had crept across his senses.

"He's falling." The other boy said with a sigh. "Nearly made it too. Should I fetch someone to take him to the infirmary?"

"No." The old man answered. "Perhaps this way, the lesson will come quicker. Leave him until the rest of the children have finished for the day."

"They won't finish for another three hours. We can't leave him there that long." The other boy said.

The older man paused, then, with sharp furious eyes he turned towards the boy who spoke, meaning to pierce the child's gaze, only to find the boy's eyes were shielded. But of course, weren't they always.

"Agent 04…" He said softly…after a long pause. The boy's stance did not change as the older man approached him, a smile of sorts forming on his wrinkled face. "You perhaps have some objection to the way I lead my soldiers?"

"He might die down there…sir." The sir was added weightily…as though the boy did not particularly desire to show loyalty, but also was weary of being overly rebellious.

"Yes? And I suppose if I order you to go back to your dorm and mind your business…you'll dissobey me and rescue the boy anyways?"

He searched the young man's face for any betraying expression. It held none…neither did his mind…but then, to him the boy's mind was always unnervingly silent.

"If you order me not to?" He questioned. The man's grin faded…and for a moment he appeared to think. After a while he turned towards the other boy.

"Agent 16, fetch an instructor to rescue cadet 152 from the barbed wire."

Agent 16 nodded and hurried towards the door, only pausing to give the other boy an encouraging smile. When he was gone, the older man put his attention back on the young man in front of him.

"Now we'll never know…will we, 04?" He smiled. The young man returned his smile…but in a way that made the older man slightly uneasy. For at that moment both of them knew what each other were thinking with little need of telepathy. And that was;

'Yes…yes I think we both know exactly what would have happened.'

XXX

Stephen Brickall, 13 years old, was one of the unlucky one's in the academy. It was not…as one may assume, because he was currently in a ditch on top of a lot of barbed wire…however unlucky that might be. (And at the moment it was the worst thing he could think of.)

Stephen was unlucky because he was behind most of his class, was an outcast to the other students, who all made fun of him at every available oppertunity, and was currently being laughed at and pelted with things. Even through the barbed wire he could feel the onset of shame as he heard his nickname being called by the other children.

Stephen's nickname was Rubbish. It was given to him so that whenever anyone called on him or spoke to him, he would constantly be reminded that he meant nothing. Nicknames, even in the real world are terrible…if they're bad ones. But here in the academy they were much worse.

Everyone who stepped through the doors of the Chitt Learning Center (Or CLC) was forced to leave their names behind, along with anything they had ever learned about their Psychic ability. The authoritative figures gave them a number based on their ability or the order of which they arrived. From then on their numbers became their names. This perhaps showed just how much the faculty actually cared about them.

The school hadn't been open for very long before the kids themselves found that, though it worked fine for the adults they had an annoyingly difficult time remembering each other's numbers. That was when the nicknames started. From then on it was a tradition. You got a number from the teachers, you got a nickname from your peers…and depending on whom you were speaking to, that name and number was who you were.

"Rubbish! How does that barbed wire feel stuck up your ass?" That was The Nose, who was laughing in a series of abhorrent snorts. A couple of the other kids laughed, proving not for the first time that the school's strength lied not within its academics.

"Hehe, looks like failing is your specialty, Rubbish." Came the voice of Shorty, who nearly fell himself as he leaned in to taunt the younger boy.

Beyond the sniggering crowd two of the instructors were shoving their way towards the gap.

"Ack, out of my vay you filthy children." Came the slightly prissy and heavily accented voice of General Drake Cadmus, known to the children as Dragon due to the serration of his teeth and his pyrotechnic genius. (Which meant, in the terms of psychics that he was very good with pyrokinesis and he also happened to be a chronic pyro maniac.)

"Get avay from thee hole or I will push you een." He said harshly as he shoved The Nose out of the way. Beside him another instructor gave a nearby child a cold look. This was Instructor Andrea Chilli. (Hag.) Who, although still very much in her youth, had the complexion and stature of a woman in her sixties.

"Are you down there, Cadet 152?"

"Yes." Came a weak and bitter voice from the pit.

"Vee have been sent to rescue you." Drake said with a hint of malice. "I vill trow down thee rope…grab hold…and try not to let your filthee hands slip theez time." A couple of the kids sniggered as Drake threw a rope down into the dark.

Stephen, who was red both because of the pain he was currently in and the embarrassment he would soon have to face, grabbed hold and began climbing.

When he reached the opening he met the sneering faces of his peers. He thought it best to keep his gaze on the ground. Even the instructor's eyes were dancing with cruel laughter.

"Cadet 152. Thee Master wishes to see you in hees office." Drake said with a grin, trusting his voice only when the inner laughter subsided. The boy's clothes were ripped to shreds in embarrassing places.

Stephen nodded solemnly and made his way through the crowd, all the while keeping his eyes on the ground. He got a few "accidental" knocks in the stomach, but managed to miss all of the outstretched feet.

When he reached the door after what seemed like an eternity, he heard the instructors screaming orders at the students from behind. The fact that he was not there to finish the obstacle course relieved him…the fact that he was not in the ditch was even better…but he wished that he could at least change his clothes before facing Kellen.

The door was as tall as any other door, but felt so much larger to the small thirteen year old as he pushed his way into the shadows of Agent Chitt's office. The only light came from the dirty window where Kellen stood silhouetted, his broad shoulders portrayed flawlessly in the faint glow.

Beside him stood Agent 04. When Stephen saw him his heart sank. Though he was one of the younger boys, only sixteen or seventeen years old, he was held in great esteem in the institution. This was mostly because of how Kellen treated him. Which, to the untrained eye was respect…but to the more keen one, was apprehension.

The older kids called him Tank, the younger one's made fun of him for it. (Not within hearing range of course.) This was not because it was a bad name…but because when one looked at him, a tank was not what they thought of. He was quite tall, taller then Kellen…and probably still growing, but he had absolutely no visible muscle on his body.

There had been an occasion where one of the younger, and far more thickset boys had challenged him to a barehanded fight, using no psychic abilities. The boy had been completely confident that he would come out victorious. It was this incident that had stopped most of ridicule in the Tank's company. For, against all logic he had not only completely annihilated the boy, but he had done it without being touched once. So when he was somewhere else, like on a completely different side of the school, the kids had their fun…but when he was around they kept their silence because he worried them.

Stephen tried not to look at the boy at all, for fear that beyond the eyepiece, a kind of goggles used possibly for radar but more likely for style, and went well with the boys uniform, he was watching him, perhaps in mockery like the others.

Kellen seemed to grow suddenly aware of Stephen's presence.

"Cadet 152. Good, glad you're here." He turned and took in the shape of Stephen's clothes with little amusement…and some abhorrence. "I…watched your display on the course today…very…interesting."

Stephen looked at the floor, he was good at it…and mumbled something.

"What was that?" Kellen said, while motioning to the other boy to draw the curtains.

"I said, I'll do better next time." Stephen whispered. Kellen smiled.

"Yes…you keep saying that…and yet you haven't seemed to improve."

There was a moment of agonizing silence, which was broken when Kellen grabbed Stephen's chin and pulled the boys face up, forcing him to meet his gaze.

"You have proven to be a failure Stephen. Your performance has been pathetic ever since your arrival…look at me!" The boy's eyes rose. "Now let me hear you say it. Say; 'I am a failure.'"

Stephen caught movement on the side of his vision. For a moment his eyes shifted to Tank, who was simply adjusting his black knit hat. The tall boy lowered his arms after tucking a stray piece of hair back into the hat's rim, then though he could not be sure, met Stephen's gaze. The boy shook his head a little and though it could have just been a trick of the light, a corner of his mouth twitched to what could have been the start of a smile.

Stephen swallowed.

"Very well." Kellen let go of the boys chin. "I will give you one more chance, 152. In two days, if you can't climb that rope without falling, you will be expelled from my school. Is that understood?"

Stephen licked his lips and nodded.

"Good. You are dismissed 152. Agent 04, you will meet me tonight at 7:00. Please don't be late." With that, Kellen left the room with a stride like that of a god's, or someone who thought he was one.

That left Stephen and Tank alone in the room. Stephen fidgeted slightly as he debated whether it was a good idea to turn his back on the boy or not. He didn't have to.

Tank stepped forwards towards the door, pausing much to Stephen's horror, at the boy's side. He raised one hand, causing Stephen to flinch out of habit.

"Next time you might try gloves. Leather. They slip less." He said, wiggling his own gloved fingers. He stepped out of the room without another word.

* * *

Okay, now, I know there isn't much familiar Psychonauts stuff in this one…but it's sort of a build up to the story. I'll have more of the familiar characters in the next chapter. This chapter is experimental. I don't know what to think of this story yet. So, if you would give me feedback and tell me what you think I would appreciate it.

Also, I'm telling you now that Sasha, Milla, Ford, Lili and maybe Oleander are going to be in future chapters. If you have another character you want me to add in from Whispering Rock tell me in a review. I know I'm going to use some of them, but I'm not sure whom yet.

Oh…and Raz isn't dead…if…you know…you didn't know that


	2. A Psychonauts Initiation

Chapter Two:

A Psychonauts Initiation

Sasha Nein descended the staircase into his laboratory with a tan folder tucked under his arm. Various machines clicked and whirred in the body of the room and on all sides in every corner cardboard boxes were stacked up and scattered about, clashing with Sasha's usually clean visage.

Sasha's cigarette put itself out in an ashtray while Sasha himself headed towards a large stump in the corner of the room which looked very much out of place with the machinery and equipment. He tucked the folder into his coat and jumped into the darkness of the remains of what at one point had been a tree.

Somewhere, deep in the core of Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, beyond tunnels which all lead to various stumps scattered throughout the facility stood a large opening clad with various mechanisms hinting at the workings of the outside world.

In the center, an old man stood, watching the news on a tv screen floating just above his head. He didn't turn when he heard the sound of someone being cast out of the stump and landing on their feet with a click of two fancy (And well polished) dress shoes.

"Starting to think I wouldn't see you until the start of summer." Ford Cruller said to the younger man as he approached.

"Things have been…hectic. This was the soonest I could come." Came the monotone and German voice of Sasha Nein.

Ford turned and fixed Sasha with a serious look.

"I figured something was going on. I haven't seen you, Milla or Morry in months. Usually Morry is back at the camp by now…I didn't figure he was as essential to the Psychonauts as you two were."

"Lately Truman has been using as many agents as he can. Incidentally…Morry has spent most of his time doing secretary work. He complains…a lot."

Ford looked slightly amused for a second before he cleared his throat and switched back to a serious attitude.

"I suppose some of the older cadets are having their initiation moved to a sooner date?"

"Yes. Though, for the most part it's only the more talented students who are being welcomed in this early. While we're on the subject, I'm pretty sure Ms. Zanotto's is tonight…if you think there's any possible way you can make it."

"Hmm…doubt it. It has been a while though, hasn't it? I really thought she wouldn't follow through with the Psychoanuts…after…you know."

Sasha nodded grimly.

"I think she's doing it mainly on her father's wishes. She didn't seem terrible excited about it the last time I saw her."

There was a long silence between Sasha and Ford, in which both of them seemed to be thinking about something. After a few moments Ford nodded towards the files under Sasha's arm.

"I see you got them. Mind if I…take a look?" Sasha handed the files over to the older agent, who flipped through them to inspect what was inside.

"Do you think you could make up an excuse so I can keep these for a few days?"

"I'm sure I can come up with something." Sasha answered.

"Great. I'll take my time then." He set the files down on one of the floating metal seats and then turned back to the younger agent.

"Alright…now…before you go we need to discuss one more thing." Sasha nodded, knowing this was coming.

"I imagine Milla couldn't tell you much." He said, his hand folded behind him.

"A month ago? Couldn't tell me a thing except some of our ex agents were giving us trouble. I've seen the news, but the Psychonauts don't broadcast much to the public unless it's REALLY important."

Sasha nodded.

"Yes…Truman has kept things very silent. You've been in the Psychonauts for longer then I have…maybe you'll remember one of the agents from before I joined. Kellen Chitt?"

Ford's face darkened a little.

"Yes…I remember him alright. Last I heard he was in a Mental Hospital in Los Angeles talking to the ceiling."

"Well…he's not now. Apparently after being discharged and arrested for an incident back when Bob was still in charge of the Psychonauts, he broke out. Now he's off in some secret location gathering young Psychics and training them to be soldiers."

Ford's eyebrows rose.

"Kellen's training kids? For what?"

"We think for revenge. We've gotten a positive ID on a couple of them…mostly from angry parents. Benny Fideleo is one. His father told us to send him home as soon as we found him for…proper punishment. Other then that there's David Marco and Crysta Long. We know there are others who had some previous training with us…we just don't know who they are yet."

"Benny Fideleo used to go to camp didn't he?"

"Yes…he followed Bobby Zilch around. Bobby is still in Psychonaut training since the last I heard."

"Hmm…how many kids do the Psychonauts think Kellen has now?"

"Truman says it's probably a small number still, since he's just starting out. But it will grow…if he's gathering up everyone who is against us…or who are looking for more then we can give them."

"Dangerous minds, those kids. Always wanting more power…Kellen was the same way…never happy with just being a Psychonaut. Has he made contact yet at all?"

"Just once, to tell us what he's doing; training kids to be Cerebral Soldiers, more powerful and more dedicated then anyone who ever set foot in a Psychonauts training camp."

"Ha! Try more foolish and crazy! There's a reason those kids aren't with us."

Sasha nodded.

"It's likely their training will not be quite as advanced are's…and their members will most likely be much younger…but a lot of the Psychonaut's are still worried. We aren't sure what Kellen will do yet."

"Anything, most likely. Truman's right to start preparing now. Good head on that man's shoulders."

Sasha glanced briefly at his watch and frowned.

"I apologize, Ford. I have to go. I have to be at the initiation ceremony in twenty minutes."

Ford nodded.

"Better go then. If you leave now you might make it before it's over."

Sasha frowned…clearly the thought of being late killed him a little inside.

"I'll be back as soon as I can…although it may be in as late as a week. Milla said she'd drop in tomorrow morning."

"Alright. See ya later, Sasha. Say hello to Lili for me."

Sasha nodded and headed off quickly towards his lab.

XXX

A number of people had gathered for the Initiation in the lecture hall at Psychonauts Headquarters. Various parents and senior agents were sitting in the crowd waiting for the ceremony to begin.

In the back was a group of nervous cadet's, working furiously to look as calm, collected and experienced as they possibly could with the exception of a girl who was sitting in the corner with her arms crossed.

Lili Zanotto didn't have much in common with the cadets around her. For one thing, she was a lot more talented then they were. For another, her father was Truman Zanotto, head of the Psychonauts, and no matter how much talent she had she would never be considered anything other then her father's daughter…which basically meant that everyone knew she got special treatment (Even though she didn't.)

And finally, what set her apart most of all and most visibly was the fact that she couldn't have cared less about her initiation. Her only joy came from the knowledge that she would not have to attend any more lessons or classes to become a Psychonaut. She had been going to them since she was very young…and no matter what the setting, she was always ahead of her class, which would result after only a few short lessons in complete and utter boredom on her part.

Lili was brought out of her thoughts when she felt someone standing beside her. She looked up into the sharp and stern eyes of a uniformed man who had just made his way through the room and was now giving her a stiff salute. She sighed, stood and returned it, but with less enthusiasm.

"Hey dad." She said wearily as she dropped her hand. Even after he lowered his, he still looked like he was standing at attention.

"About ten minutes, Lili." He seemed to look her over. After a moment he frowned, obviously unsatisfied.

"Where's your uniform?" He asked, while glancing nervously at the clock.

Lili's expression didn't change as she grabbed a plastic bag with a brand new suit still wrapped up inside.

"Well come on then cadet, get changed! You have eight minutes!" He said in exasperation. He gave her another salute and turned.

Lili rolled her eyes and began taking the uniform out of the wrapping.

XXX

On the edge of the sensibly furnished stage stood a woman who was scanning the room nervously for any sign of her partner. It was thoroughly unlike him to be late.

Unlike most of the others in the large room, Milla Vodello preferred to be clad in more then one solid color. She was currently sticking out quite noticeably in a bright dress and rather fashionable heels, both of which together held nearly every color in the rainbow. Her hair, long and perfectly styled was tied up in a magnificent bun, lined quite prettily with lilacs. It was for this reason that her plan to be, at least for the moment, as scarce as she could was failing miserably.

Finally, just as she worried the event would have to be delayed; she spotted her colleague as he slipped in through the back door and quietly make his way up the aisle. Together they looked quite incongruous, for he nearly cancelled out her color with his many shades of black and gray.

"Sasha, darling, you're late." She whispered as he reached the stage. "Where have you been?"

"I was talking to Ford." He said as the lights on the stage were illuminated and struck both of them in the eyes. "It appears to be time." He said and motioned for her to precede him.

Milla walked to the center of the stage, with Sasha following behind. In the audience all of the senior members were gazing onward in expectation.

Milla smiled and leaned over the microphone.

"Fellow Psychonauts." She started. "We gather tonight to celebrate the graduation of twelve young cadets, and welcome them warmly into our ranks, as we recognize their superior talent and commitment to this team. In a moment I will hand this mic over to my fabulous partner and he will read off their names. Then, after they officially receive their badge they will be considered a Psychonaut from this day forward. Here you are darling." Milla passed the mic onto Sasha, who cleared his throat and peered critically down on the short list of names. He started right in, not one to dwell too much on ceremony.

"Gretchen Arkenson, Franke Athens, Kitty Bubai, Simon Dennison, Quentin Hedgemouse and Marcus Kane have been admitted to the third rank and will be taking up positions in minor training of other individuals and documentation." He paused and waited as the teenagers received their badge, looking both elated, and slightly disappointed at having to take a rank mostly having to do with paperwork.

" Chloe Barge, Damon Rice, Stephen Turner, and Courtney Vaughn have been admitted to the second rank and will be taking up positions in minor Psychic related incidents and in some, rare occasions, more serious emergencies." Sasha paused again and looked up at his partner, who looked slightly troubled as she handed the young adults their badges. They met each others gaze for a moment, and suddenly, as though illuminated in large neon letters, her foremost thought filled his mind.

_They're all too young. _

He frowned and looked back down at the paper. Only two names remained.

"Lastly; Antony Brick, a former 2nd rank officer will be admitted to First rank and our own Lili Zanotto…will be joining him up there as well." He smiled lightly and avoided Milla's gaze as the last two people mentioned crossed the stage. Antony shook Milla's hand and raised an enthusiastic wave to the crowd as he stepped off the stage and joined the newly admitted Psychonauts.

When Lili reached the two professional Psychonauts, Sasha shook her hand and Milla, before giving her her badge, hugged her tightly.

"Here you are, darling." She said as she pressed the tiny thing into Lili's hands. "We're so proud of you." Lili smiled at her and left the stage, ignoring the crowd as she did.

"These young Psychonauts have been given a great honor." Milla said as she took control of the mic once more.

"We know they will make us proud." The crowd cheered, and the ceremony…at least the formal part, was over.

XXX

Nearly forty minutes after, Lili stood outside the room, which was currently echoing with the sound of praise from parents and Psychonauts, as they partied as only a bunch of suited up government agents could…dully.

She clutched the badge in her right hand…for the last ten minutes she had been staring at it and thinking about what a silly thing it was. Psychonauts never actually wore the badge they were presented when they became an official agent. It was more a trophy…just something to be seen. The actual badge was a small patch sewn into the fabric of the uniform for convenience.

She tucked it away with a sigh and sat down in a dull army green chair next to a large window. She pulled the blinds up as she did. Outside the night grew dark as a large and looming cloud covered the moon.

"I had wondered where you went off to." Lili looked away from the window as Milla crossed the room and sat in the chair opposite from her. "They kill the party, don't they darling, with their classical music and dull conversation." She smiled. Lili returned her smile weakly.

There was a moment of silence in which Milla observed the girl quietly.

"You know when I look at you and the others it's so hard for me to forget that you aren't the children I once knew in summer camp. I don't know why…you're so grown up darling." She said. It was true. They all had grown up so much in the last five or six years. Lili herself was sixteen years old and still, no matter how she looked at her, she saw pigtails instead of the shoulder length claret locks currently dressing the girl's features and a colorful vest and skirt, rather then the form fitting green dress, and knee length tights.

Lili thumbed the Psychonaut patch absently and sighed.

"I don't feel very grown up." She said bitterly.

"Well…I can see how being admitted at such a young age would make you a little nervous but…" Lili was shaking her head.

"It wouldn't have made much difference, being a Psychonaut tonight…or in another ten years."

"Oh but darling it's an honor. You should be proud of yourself. Sixteen is a very impressive age to be in First Rank." Lili shrugged.

"It's not that great…I mean...when you know...he got in...he was ten." Lili rested her chin in her hand and stared out the window once more.

_Ah…so that was it…_

"We all miss him, Lili, but on your big night, I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted you sitting in a dark room all by yourself. It isn't good for yoiu to dwell on these things. You're still young, try to have fun while you can. Now come on, darling, how about we go in there and liven things up a bit, what do you say?" Lili smiled a little.

"I guess it couldn't hurt…I'll have to face my dad some time." She stood. "But I doubt even you could liven _them_ up." Milla smiled.

"It's worth a try, darling."

XXX

I would like to say that this will not interrupt my other story in any way. The only reason I'm updating this one again instead is because I'm currently stuck in the other one.

Hehe, in response you your reviews: I'm so proud! You guys catch on so much quicker then the readers of some of my other stories.


	3. A Qualified Spy?

Chapter Three:

A Qualified Spy?

At night pale lampposts surrounding the training equipment illuminated the yards of CLC almost eerily as the large mechanisms burst up and sparkled in the glow. It looked more like a large torture chamber in the evenings…and probably could have been one with a few changes and minor adjustments. Many of the kids had either retired to bed after a long and miserable day in training or were in the mess hall eating dinner, and therefore undergoing further torture.

Tank was sitting at the top of a fifty-foot set of swinging bars looking and over the yard without really seeing it, as his mind was elsewhere. In the pale light, his Cerebral Soldier badge glowed peculiarly.

Unlike the Psychonauts badge, which was simple and convenient, Kellen's badges automatically put one in the mind of someone who was trying to be more dramatic. It was black with pure silver lining. In the center was an unpleasant skull, also designed in the same glittering silver. The only color on the badge was the pinkish reddish brain within the skulls cranium. The positive thing about the badge, if you could call it positive, was that it at least matched the uniform perfectly…which was, more or less, equally as flashy and unnecessary.

Tank had wondered often if, when the time came to take any specific action, he would able to do it effectively while wearing an outfit only a few pegs ahead of leather on the comfort scale and a pair of pale red goggles that he could barely see out of in poor lighting due to the Cerebral Soldier design on the lenses. He wasn't sure…but he hoped he'd never have to find out the hard way.

He was brought out of his thoughts when his wrist began emitting a faint beeping sound. He pulled back his sleeve and examined his watch carefully. Neon numbers informed him that it was seven o' clock. He sighed and pushed himself off of the bars, about halfway down he caught himself with levitation and floated gently the rest way.

There was a path from the training facility to the school, if a path is what it could be called. What it actually was was a trail of ancient stones that corroded slowly beneath ones feet as he or she made their way down it. It was currently making crunching noises underneath Tank's boots as he progressed towards the back doors.

About halfway along the path he stopped suddenly and looked around him in slight confusion. His ears were picking up nothing but the faint sounds of crickets and the eerie sound of wind blowing through rusty chains and hallow branches, but another sound was trying to inch it's way into his mind and make itself heard. He closed his eyes and opened his mind to the school, suddenly hearing the individual thoughts of nearly all of the students inside the building. One in particular was louder then the others and was in a state of pure panic.

Tank opened his eyes and hurried down the path, sliding the last five feet as he came to a stop in front of a bolted door. He knocked loudly on the peeling wood.

"Is someone in there?" He shouted. There was no answer, but when he put his hands and ear to the wood he heard a loud crackling and a muffled sound that closely resembled that of someone trying to scream with a mouth full of cotton.

He stood back and in a quick motion punched the air in front of him, which would have looked silly if it hadn't been for the large invisible fist that erupted through the air and issued a series of long cracks in the door. Tank kicked the rest of the door in and rushed inside, which may have been a mistake, as he was aware that air vanished as he crossed the threshold…and that he had almost stumbled straight into what appeared to be a large bon fire in the middle of a very small storage room.

Hanging above the fire, struggling and screaming as best as he could with a gag on his mouth was Stephen. After covering his own nose and mouth with a gloved hand he gaped at the suspended boy in surprised dismay. If this was some sort of prank…it was going WAY too far.

He levitated to where Stephen was. The young man had his eyes shut tightly against the smoke and was in the wrong sort of mind from the blood rushing to his head. Tank suprised him by grabbing him under the shoulders and pulling him upward out of the smoke. When he was sure the younger boy was secured, he mind blasted the rope that was tied to the boys ankles and tried to levitate them both to safety. There was a moment while he was drifting back to the ground where he almost dropped him into the fire because of his thrashing about, for he had apparently decided he was under further attack.

When he reached the door he pulled Stephen out by his arms and ripped the gag off of his mouth. After which the boy choked and gasped for breath as Tank wrenched the rest of the binds from his arms and legs.

XXX

Stephen was vaguely aware that he could move freely now and that the air wasn't thick with smoke as some of the dizziness of being hung upside down for nearly twenty minutes began to subside.

He felt both drunk and sick off of the heavy smoke from the fire that the other kids had started underneath him and was currently trying to avoid the feeling of either wanting to throw up or pass out. He was also aware that someone was slapping the side of his face.

He opened his eyes and gazed upward fuzzily with vision that seemed to be doubling and then tripling as tears brought on by the smoke ran down the side of his face.

"Don't…no more…please don't hurt me." He said weakly, swallowing almost in between every word in an attempt to dispose of the dryness in his throat. He started to close his eyes again but was brought abruptly back into consciousness when someone issued a much sharper slap to the face.

"Stephen, cmon, you have to wake up!"

Stephen opened his eyes again and tried to focus. For a moment he wasn't sure where he was. NO ONE at the training facility called him Stephen. It was either Cadet152, or Rubbish. In fact, he was almost positive that he hadn't told his real name to anyone, and the only person who knew it for sure was Kellen.

Agent 04 was sitting on one knee, staring down at him with no determinable expression. (He was frowning…but that could have been a part of various undesirable emotions.) His leather glove was dangling an inch above the thirteen-year-old boy's face, in case he had to issue another slap if the boy dozed off again. Stephen flinched slightly when this information sunk in.

He tried to sit up, but failed when he was aware of a pain that could very well have been the start of his head exploding. He groaned and laid back down, his fear of the older boy momentarily forgotten due to the pounding in his temples. Tank said something that Stephen missed, which for a moment brought his panic back in full, due to the fact that it might have been something crucial. He was hauled into a sitting position, much to his unfortunate dismay.

"Wha?" He said drowsily.

"I said, I think you need to go to the infirmary." Tank replied as he started to pull the boy up onto his feet. After Stephen was aware of this, he tried to help as best as he could. Even though he would have much rather preferred to have been left on the cold ground, even if it meant running the risk of being stepped on the next morning when the kids started their training lessons, he didn't want to upset Agent 04. After all, there were worse things then being hung upside down over a roaring fire. Well...probably.

He wobbled lightly and nearly lost his footing as his skinny legs gave out underneath him, when Tank got a surprisingly strong grip on his arm and hoisted him back up.

Stephen wondered briefly how a boy with such long skinny arms could have such strength, as he was lead slowly towards the building.

After they had walked for a few minutes he began to regain some of his strength and awareness, and was torn between embarrassment and disbelief as one of Kellen's top agents walked him through the building.

When they reached the Infirmary Stephen searched his mind desperately for a way to thank the older boy for saving his life without sounding like an idiot.

Tank let go of the boys arm, and after deciding that he wasn't going to fall, pushed open the doors and nodded to the nurse who had given them both a critical and discourteous look. It subsided almost immediately when she realized it was Agent 04 who was standing in front of her and shifted quickly into a nervous smile.

"Oh, how can I help you, Agent 04?" She asked politely. Tank pulled Stephen in the door and directed him towards one of the solid white cots, then with a slightly impatient look crossing his features he looked towards the clock in the corner of the room.

"Take a look at him, will you Edna? He's been in a fire. I have to go. I had an appointment with Kellen at seven." He said quickly. Stephen was still gaping at him and trying desperately to gather enough courage to say 'Thank you,' when the boy hurried out the door.

XXX

When Tank reached Kellen's office he was greeted with a severe look of annoyance.

"You know when I said '7:00, don't be late!' I did not mean 7:25. Where have you been?"

Tank was patiently wiping the ash off of his uniform while he spoke.

"There was an emergency."

"I don't care, whatever it was could have waited!" He grabbed the boy by his collar to focus his attention off of his uniform and pulled him across the room, letting him go only when they were in front of a tinted window that looked down over the mess hall.

"What do you think of them?" He said, changing quickly from one subject to another. Tank looked down at the students as he straightened the neckline of his outfit.

"What about them?" He said, watching the glass wearily as a number of disturbed thoughts entered his mind.

"I'm going to make my first move in two days. I want to send a spy, but I'm not sure whom, at this point has the necessary qualifications. So what the hell do you think of them?"

Tank raised his eyebrows and began to answer his question carefully.

"I think…that if the Psychonauts wanted to send a spy to us…they could send just about anyone and would succeed…but…we…probably don't have much of a chance the other way around."

This wasn't the answer Kellen wanted. He gave the boy a dark look and scowled.

"Oh? And why, may I ask, are you so sure my soldiers would fail?"

"I think they'd probably stand out a little too much over there." He answered, while adjusting his goggles.

"Because we follow slightly different rules?" Kellen asked bitterly.

"No…because they're useless when it comes to teamwork and have a tendency to set each other on fire for entertainment." He said, as he crossed his arms.

Kellen rolled his eyes and drew a thick set of blinds so he didn't have to look down on the cafeteria.

"Maybe you should hold off before…you know…they don't suck…so much." Tank finished. Kellen seemed to think for a moment then shook his head.

"No, this is taking too long. I WILL make my first move in two days and I suggest you begin thinking of someone I CAN send…or when that day comes you will be severely unhappy…and don't even think about volunteering! I'm not that stupid!" He turned away from Tank, who sighed and was considering, for a moment, of issuing a quick blast to the back of the man's skull.

He was just about to ask for his leave when a thought crossed his mind.

"Sir? What about Stephen Brickall?" He said, watching without surprise as Kellen's shoulders stiffened and the man turned around with a look of utter disbelief and cruel amusement on his face.

"And why, Agent 04, would I send that worthless idiot off to be a spy? He's the most incompetent soldier in this entire facility. He's NOTHING like the other students."

Tank smiled.

"Exactly. NO ONE would suspect him." Tank shrugged as he said this andnd was thankful, as he had been many times before, that Kellen could not read his mind.

The man seemed to be considering this.

"But…he can't even get up a bloody rope, they'd kick him out as soon as they saw how unskilled he was."

"Not exactly…they don't train over there like we do. And besides, you said you'd give him another shot at the rope." Although he would never admit to being able to do so, Tank surveyed the man's thoughts to see if he needed any further prodding. He did. Just a bit more.

"How about I make you a deal. If I can get Stephen through the obstacle course, you have to at least consider sending him as a spy." Kellen smiled.

"You'll get cadet 152 through the ENTIRE obstacle course in the next two days? Haha, he hasn't even made it past the first set yet! You'll never manage it!" Tank leaned towards him.

"Do we have a deal or not?" He said, sticking out his gloved hand. Kellen laughed and took it with a strong grip.

"If you can get Rubbish over the entire obstacle course, I won't only let him be a spy, I'll make him a full fledged Cerebral Soldier!"

Tank smiled. Perfect.

XXX

Hee hee…yea…bet you didn't expect an update THIS quickly. Haha, bow before my writing speed and lack of a social life!

K, I'm currently on a long weekend, so unless this blasted writers block doesn't go away, expect an update for Always The Same as well in the next couple days. My exams are over so I have NOTHING to do but waste my time with writing. MWAHAHAHA!

To FluffleNeCharka: (Tries to avoid the puppy dog eyes.) Argh! Wow…I've never had a fangirl before…I guess you could be…but I think my work is, as of yet, still pretty undeserving.

To everyone else: Thank you for the FANTASTIC reviews. I didn't get a chance to say that on my update last night, because I was tired and not thinking straight. So I'm saying it now


	4. Singled Out

Chapter Four:

Singled Out

It was one of those mornings where, when one stepped out the door all of the stresses of the day were released. The sun was out and the breeze was perfect and from somewhere came the sound of birds singing.

Stephen decided it would have been better if he weren't standing on the edge of the obstacle course, which glinted dangerously in the sun. Back at home these were the sorts of days he would have taken advantage of. He would have snuck out of the house in the early hours of the morning before his parents awoke and began arguing and spent the day out by the river or in the forest in his own company.

But here, the giant looming obstacle course and the jeering students snickering behind him could ruin even the most perfect day. It didn't help that his eyes were still stinging and his throat was still hoarse from the day before. He did his best to drift to the back of the crowd so that most of the others went before him. He almost managed to without being noticed, when he felt someone push him sharply forward.

"Do not stand in my weey, leettle boy. You almost ran into me." Dragon pushed past Stephen, who stumbled away from him into a girl who was standing on his right.

"Watch out, urchin!" She said in a shrill voice as she shoved him and brushed herself off, apparently worried that he had gotten Stephen like particles on her. Stephen steadied himself and frowned, ignoring a boy nearby who was making obscene gestures in his direction.

Dragon walked to the head of the group, receiving horrified looks from both the boys and girls as they took in his outfit. His blonde hair was plastered to his skull, flipping slightly at the end…which rarely works for any male who wishes to maintain some sort of masculinity and if this did not make him look enough of a joke, the fact that he was wearing a shirt five sizes too small and pants that hugged the skin in an uncomfortable way (Mostly for those who had to see it.) certainly finished the job.

"I am supposed to watch you tooday and monitor your…progress. Now…despite your habeet ove sucking…I suggest you all try your best." His eyes passed over Stephen, who attempted as many do in this sort of situation to hide himself in hopes that the instructor would simply pass him over. It didn't work…it never does.

"Rubeesh, lets get you over with now, that way you won't hold back thee other children." Some of the children snickered as Stephen approached the instructor in trepidation. A couple of them whispered things as he passed by, most of which he didn't catch. He did his best to ignore the things he did.

"All right. Start at thee beginning, ann hurry pleese, we don't haff all day." Stephen swallowed and stepped forward, grabbing a hold of the hand bar of the ladder at the start of the course. He was a few steps up when Dragon put a manicured hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on." He grabbed the collar of Stephen's shirt and pulled him backwards, choking him slightly. Stephen looked around for the cause of the interruption. His eyes fell on the tall figure, who was walking through the crowd easily, as many of the kids obediently stepped out of his way.

Dragon tossed a stray piece of hair back with a quick movement and stepped forward to meet the boy halfway.

"Agent 04. What reason do you have for interrupting my clauss?"

Stephen watched Tank who was saying a lot of things he couldn't quite hear from where he was standing. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel the conversation involved him in some way and he felt the odd sensation that the boy's eyes fell on him once or twice, though, through the goggles he could not tell for sure.

Stephen eyed some of the other students and marveled at their behavior around the boy. They were quiet, which was unusual and spoke only in whispers. Stephen didn't blame them. Silhouetted in the sun, around all of the students, most of which were fifteen and under, Tank looked dreadfully tall. Not to mention on this morning he was wearing a trench coat that fell to his knees and added an almost impressive effect on his features.

After a few minutes Dragon turned and looked at Stephen.

"Well, it appears your off thee hook, Rubbeesh. Your presence ees required by Agent 04." He was giving him a look that appeared to be a mix between amusement and puzzlement. Stephen just stood there for a moment in uncertainty and confusion. What could Agent 04 want from him?

"Hurry, you stoopid child, you aur wasting both of our time!" At this Stephen unfroze and made his way towards the both of them timidly. He stopped next to Dragon and looked up at Tank, who, to his bewilderment, was smiling at him. The boy motioned for Stephen to go ahead. Stephen began to walk forward slowly, aware, to his discomfort that Tank was directly behind him.

When they cleared the crowd he could see the boy on the corner of his vision. His mind was working furiously, trying to think of why he had taken him out of training, and where he was directing him. The only thing that made any sense was that Kellen probably had changed his mind about giving him one last chance, and had decided to kick him out early.

This thought came to him with a mixture of panic and relief. Panic because he knew that if he went home and his father found out that he was kicked out, he would probably be in a lot of trouble, and maybe even locked out of the house for a few days. Relief because he knew that at home, even with his parents and the occasional beating, he would have his room to himself and no one would make fun of him or set him on fire again.

They were walking down the hallway which lead to the offices and facilities of the agents, when Tank spoke, making Stephen jump a little.

"Left up here." Stephen blinked.

"Left?" He asked in a tiny voice, as he obeyed the boys instruction and began heading in a direction away from Kellen's office He had never been any further down this hallway, mostly because it was a training and living area for more advanced soldiers.

"Where are we going?" He asked nervously, for the moment, putting his concern and curiosity before his shyness.

"To the higher grade training facilities."

This caught Stephen off guard, and he spent the next few minutes in silence wondering why Tank could possibly be leading him _there_.

At the end of the long hallway was a heavy metal door with a key pad next to it. Tank took a few steps ahead of the boy and then stopped in front of it. When Stephen reached him, he was digging through a pocket in his coat. Finally, he pulled out a keycard and slid it easily through a slot in the door.

"Umm…sir?" Stephen asked, trying to be polite and not distract the older boy too much in case what he was doing took any amount of concentration. Tank punched in a few numbers, then turned and focused on Stephen.

"Hmm?"

"Umm…why are we here?" He said, stammering a little under the tall boy's gaze.

Tank pushed the door open and motioned for the boy to enter.

"Because for the next few days you'll be training with me." He spoke in a voice that was, at least in Stephen's opinion a little too serious to coincide with what was just said. Stephen gaped at him for a moment, as if expecting for him to suddenly burst into laughter before objecting him to some sort of torture.

"Wha?" Stephen managed after a while. Tank grabbed him by the shoulder, not unkindly and lead him in the door. When they were inside, his shock subsided a little and turned into sheer panic.

"With you? But…but why? I can't do anything!" His voice squeaked a little as he backed towards the door.

"You were volunteered to participate in Kellen's first mission…but first you have to make it through the course. Besides if you had a little help…" Stephen interrupted him, normally a thing he wouldn't dream of doing to any of Kellen's top agents.

"Then it's a trick! No one would ACTUALLY volunteer me! You…you've seen…m…me…I'm…m…completely worthless!" In his excitement, he found with dismay that he had started to stammer. This had been a problem he had had since he was small when his father was in his face, screaming at him to stop talking like a retard. He had done this once or twice with Dragon and Hag and had found that their way of dealing with it was to hit him.

This was why when Tank, who seemed slightly surprised by his outburst, reached forward, Stephen flinched back out of habit. Instead of hitting him, he grabbed his shoulder alarmingly and leaned forward.

"Hey, calm down Stephen. It's not a trick. And with an attitude like that it's no wonder you have a hard time getting through the course." Stephen was taking in several gulps of air and trying to keep from hyperventilating.

"I…it is th-though. Kellen w…wouldn't send me. He'd send someone…s…stronger…" He took a deep breath to calm down, finding that it hurt his chest, the way breathing did right after someone had uncontrollably burst into tears. "Like y…you."

"Well…" Tank said, in a surprisingly gentle and reassuring voice. "He wouldn't send me, if it were up to him he'd probably send someone like Benny Fidelio or Jeremiah. But he asked me and _I_ volunteered you." Stephen, who had started to catch his breath, stared at Tank in surprised bewilderment. Ever since he had first arrived to the training facility he had seen people like Tank, Hag, and General Drake Cadmus and thought of them as being 1. Far above him in rank, talent and worth and 2. People he would not want to ever mess with or appear too pathetic in front of. To him, the boy in front of him, for the longest time had appeared as disciplined and cold as any of the others…and therefore, it was against all logic that he should be standing here in front of him speaking to him so kindly.

"Why would you do that?" He asked incredulously.

"Because, you have the perfect qualifications for this sort of operation." Stephen tried extremely hard to think of what the boy could possibly mean before giving up and deciding Tank must have been mislead at some point.

"I fall in barbed wire a lot and faint when I get over fifteen feet in the air." He said, aware, with some dark amusement that this was the first occasion he had ever spoken to Tank…and all he had basically done so far was try to convince him of how much of a loser he was…as if everyone else didn't do it enough already. Tank smiled.

"I'm not talking about that sort of thing. I mean that, you're the only person here out of the younger students who could possible pass off as a Psycadet. Which is what you'll be trying to do if to get pass the obstacle course. And as for the physical stuff…I think you could be a lot better if you believed in yourself a little more." He seemed to think about something and straightened up, putting his hand in his pocket as he did. When his hand appeared again, a pair of slightly worn looking leather gloves were clutched in his long fingers.

"And you should always wear gloves when it comes to ropes and bars and stuff. Hand's get too sweaty…especially when your nervous." He handed Stephen the gloves, which were a faded brown color and seemed to be almost the perfect size for Stephen's hands. He slid the gloves on and tightened his fingers a few times before returning his gaze back to the older boy.

"Thanks." He said softly. He meant to say more, something more on the lines of; _Thank you for saving my life yesterday and walking me to the infirmary, thank you for calling me Stephen instead of Rubbish…and even though I know this won't work and I'm a total waste of your time, thank you for believing in me cause no one's ever done that before. _All of these things ran through his mind, but did not reach his tongue.

"Your welcome." Tank said and smiled…and for some reason Stephen got the feeling that he didn't HAVE to say all of those things and that thinking them had been enough. "Now, I'm going to get you something to drink before we start training." He said, his voice shifting back into more authoritative tones. "When I get back I want you to tell me what you think you need the most work on, and we'll work down from there." The boy headed out the door, leaving Stephen in the room by himself for a moment to think about what…out of all of his weaknesses, was the worst. He sighed…and decided it would be a very close call.

XXX

I'm gonna try to write more on the next chapter. Still, despite it's shortness, I hope this one was alright. At the moment I have found myself in a pleasant cross section between both this story and Always The Same. That is, that I want to write on both stories and I no longer have writers block on either. Hopefully I will be updating a lot in the next couple weeks…at least until I get stuck somewhere again.

Right, and although Stephen seems like an important character now and I'm not focusing on too many of the familiar characters, future chapters will revolve more around Raz (Yeah yeah…we all know it's him by now.) and Lili, and Raz and Sasha, Milla and Ford. Not too mention more conflict between the Cerebral Soldiers and the Psychonauts.

I love all of you for your reviews! They have been very enjoyable to me and I am very glad you like the story. I would also like to say that I will try to read and review your stories too and that the main reason I haven't yet is because I focus a lot more on writing for rather then reading…which is kinda sad…because I remember the days back before I even started writing when I used to stay up until all hours of the morning reading stories on the net. I think I need to find a happy place in between.


	5. Training With Agent 04

Chapter Five:

Training With Agent 04

Agent Cruller awoke in the late morning to the sound of someone rummaging around in the central room of his Sanctuary. He got out of bed and walked across the floor of a very empty and basic room tucked away in the very back of the large hideout where he spent all of his time. He had found several years before that a bedroom was somewhat of a necessity with the oncoming of old age, and that one could only stand so many nights spent on floating chairs, which offered a rather nasty fall if one should turn over in their sleep, or a semi soft cushion behind the glass of an observation window. And so he had had one built with Sasha and Milla's help.

He slipped on a pair of worn shoes and opened the wall which led to the many television screens that drifted about and kept him in touch with the outside world. In the center of the room Milla was watching a particular screen with a small cup of coffee in her hands. In it, a spoon was stirring itself.

"Milla." Ford said as he walked the short distance to where she was standing. Milla looked away from the screen and smiled at him.

"Good morning, Ford. How have you been?"

"Okay…aside from the minor aches and pains that come from old age. How was the Initiation?"

"It went well. I assume Sasha told you a little of what has been going on."

"He did…Kellen Chitt." He said grimly.

"Yes, I hear he used to be a Psychonaut. We haven't heard anything else from him yet. Truman is getting worried." Milla took a sip of her coffee and gave Ford a cunning look.

"You knew him didn't you, darling? He would have been an agent when you were."

"Yeah…I did, and I'll tell you now that it isn't like him to wait around like this, being sneaky wasn't one of his strong points."

Milla took another drink of her coffee and stared at the wall for a bit.

"You know…" She started again carefully. "I heard that the day he was admitted to the asylum was around the same time you were discharged from the Psychonauts for being mentally unstable." Ford frowned.

"If your trying to squeeze an explanation out of me it isn't working. Where'd you get that coffee anyways?"

"From Sasha's lab, darling. There was a coffee machine on a stack of boxes. Would you like a cup?"

"Nah…bad for my stomach in the morning. Funny how he keeps all of those boxes isn't it. He twitches at the sight of a poorly organized bookcase or if his beakers are out of place and yet his lab looks like a storage room."

Milla smiled fondly and took another sip of coffee before speaking again.

"You know I can't help but wonder who the other agent was in the Psychic battle you got in all those years ago before you lost your mind."

Ford frowned.

"You're still going on about that?"

"Did you think I had forgotten?" She said, slight amusement filling her voice.

"Hoped is more like it. Well if you must know, then the answer is yes. I was in a psychic duel with Kellen Chitt when BOTH of us lost our minds. He would have gone to prison if he hadn't been babbling like a maniac…and I would have gone to a mad house if I hadn't stopped him."

Milla nodded and sighed.

"Well if it's true then, how can he be out there arranging a force of his own?"

Ford shrugged.

"Dunno, last I saw of him he was a complete lunatic, which'll either make him really harmless or really dangerous. Knowing Kellen it'll be the latter. Even in madness he probably wants power. And unlike Morry, I don't think entering his mind and freeing his inner child will do the Psychonauts much good. He was the sort of man who got everything handed to him easily…you got to watch out for people like that."

"What did he do in the Psychonauts?"

"Mostly studied, if I recall. Was always really interested in the inner workings of the human mind. Before he joined up he was a brain surgeon if you could believe that."

Milla finished her coffee and sighed.

"I feel bad about this whole thing. I feel like we should know more."

Ford nodded.

"Don't feel bad. Sometimes it's a lot easier for the people who are capable of seeing more to see less. Particularly when it involves things directly under our noses."

Milla thought automatically of Marceau and nodded.

"Yes…I only hope we are able to see things before it's too late." Ford nodded seriously and eyed a news screen, without paying much attention to what was actually on it. After a while he saw Milla shift on the corner of his vision and turned his attention back to her.

"Sasha said he brought you a file yesterday. I don't mean to pry, but is there any particular reason you had him dig that up, darling?"

"None but for my own assurance. The Psychonauts may be ready to put this thing to rest, but I reckon someone should at least commit it to memory in case…things resurface." Cruller paused, feeling for a moment that he perhaps that the words suggested more then just research. "You know what they say about history." He said…thinking to himself and trying, at the same time to make his inquiries sound more professional…and less personal.

Milla nodded. Apparently she wasn't fooled.

"Sometimes, darling…it's best to let these things rest and get on with your life."

Agent Cruller watched her for a moment and nodded inwardly. Yes, she would say that. And when it came down to it, Sasha probably would too. Their past experiences permitted them to say that, because even though forgetting didn't make the pain go away…it was at least enough to allow you to pretend, while somewhere in the confines of your mind, another nightmare was put behind bars…never gone…but far enough so that it could never reach you…except with words and whispers in the middle of the night.

"True. Sometimes it's best to move on." He said. And it _was_ true. Ninety nine out of a hundred times…it was good to move on and get on with your lives. But there was always that one chance that doing so would come to more harm then good. And forgetting was never the answer, because nothing good ever came from forgetting.

"I should be going Ford. I promise that if the Psychonauts receive any more news Sasha or me will be by as soon as we can to inform you of it."

"I appreciate it." Ford said kindly. Milla walked towards the hallowed out log, her heels echoing on the floor of Ford's Sanctuary.

He waved to her right before she vanished into the darkness, then stood and stared for nearly ten minutes at nothing.

After a while he crossed the room and picked up the files Sasha had given him the previous day. He then made his own way to the stump, deciding he might as well have a cup of coffee after all, seeing as he'd be stuck reading for the rest of the day.

XXX

Stephen fell for the fifteenth time that afternoon. The fact that he had been on the rope sixteen times, and that this was a slight improvement was not a comfort. He still felt like a failure…although by this point he was too exhausted to care what scorn even his own mind was offering him.

After the fifth time Tank had put a mat underneath so that he wouldn't have to catch him telekinetically _every_ time. Stephen was currently lying on it, and seriously considering not getting up again.

His eyes swiveled upward and set on the form of the older boy, who was standing over him with an even expression across his face. He offered his hand to Stephen, who grabbed it aware that saying something like…'Nah, I'd rather just lie here and not climb up the crazy high rope again only to fall off…if that's alright with you.' Wouldn't go over too well.

"I think I'm getting worse." He said wearily, after he was back on his feet.

"Nah, I think your getting tired. We'll take a break and get something to eat before we do anything else." Stephen felt slightly relieved at hearing this. He would have been more relieved if he didn't have to come back and train at all…but a break and food sounding like the next best thing.

Stephen followed the older boy out of the room and down the hall, flexing his fingers to get the feeling back into them and savoring the sensation of being on the level ground. Once or twice he'd watch the back of Tank's head and try to think of something to say or talk about. Nothing ever came to him.

They reached the end of the hall and turned towards the cafeteria. Stephen happened to gaze at a nearby clock out of habit. Normally he ate his meals at odd times, due to the fact that he avoided the mess hall when most of the other kids were eating. He got up really early for breakfast, went to lunch really late…and usually just skipped dinner. He generally got leftovers or scraps due to his poor timing, but he decided it wasn't unlike the meals he received at home, and if he could manage there, he could manage here.

Any health professional, not including Edna, of course, would have disagreed and said he was far too skinny and malnourished…especially to constantly endure training at the magnitude required to become a Cerebral Soldier.

He didn't care…and still felt it was too early for lunch now.

Tank pushed on the doors to the Mess Hall, holding them open for Stephen long enough so that he could get inside. Stephen followed him uncomfortably, averting his eyes as soon as some of the kids began to notice his entrance.

He was handed a tray, and absently went through the line filling it up without paying much attention to what he was filling it up _with_. A panicked thought had entered his mind. As soon as Tank had gotten what he wanted, he would make his way over to a table and Stephen would be standing all by himself, too shy to ask if he could sit with him. Then, he'd probably shuffle off to a table and sit by himself, and although a seemingly nice boy, Tank probably would not mind if he did just that, because even nice people felt uncomfortable when they were being weighted down by a total loser.

He grabbed a drink and noticed that Tank was standing at the end of the line, giving him an odd look.

"Kind of an odd choice…but whatever suits you." Stephen looked down at his tray, noticing for the first time what he had put on it. Most of it didn't look very edible…but he was almost hungry enough not to care…and the stuff that did look all right was better then what he usually got. He shrugged.

"Come on, this cafeteria is depressing on the worst of days." Tank said as he headed for the door. Stephen followed him automatically, but felt that, on some scale, the cosmic balance of the universe had been interrupted. He inadvertently caught the eyes of a few of his peers as he passed them by, and judging by the way their irises swiveled back and forth between him and the older boy…they felt the same way.

When they got out into the sunshine, Stephen felt an almost automatic rise of spirits. This time his mood did not plummet almost immediately like it usually did at this facility, mostly because he knew he wouldn't be dangling over barbed wire in a matter of seconds.

They did falter slightly as Tank approached another boy who had apparently decided to eat outside. Stephen automatically felt awkward at following him.

The boy was poking at something electronic and only looked up when Tank set his tray down next to him. Stephen recognized him as Agent 016, or Pirate, as the other student's called him in reference to the bandana he always wore over his shoulder length black hair and his pierced ears.

He smiled at Tank before his eyes fell in Stephen's direction. His smile faded a little.

"Uhh…Cadet…152…wasn't it?" He said slowly. Tank motioned for him to sit down, before turning back to the other boy.

"Stephen this is Jeremiah, Jeremiah, Stephen." Tank said as he took a bite of his food, ignoring the uncomfortable look Jeremiah was giving him.

"Yeah…hi…but you never heard that name…because your not suppose to know it." He said after a while, directing a faint glare at Tank, who apparently took no notice. Stephen just nodded and began to poke at his own food, looking for something he wanted to eat.

After a while Tank spoke, grabbing Stephen's attention…mostly because what he was saying seemed a bit random.

"It's not like I do it around Kellen." He said, looking up at Jeremiah who was still watching him with a troubled expression. Jeremiah's eyebrows rose slightly, as though he were trying to make a point without opening his mouth.

"I know…but it all feels sort of corny…doesn't it, nicknames and stuff." Stephen caught Jeremiah's gaze and looked back at his tray quickly. Next to him, Tank spoke again, not making much sense as he did.

"Stop being so paranoid Jeremiah."

To Stephen it seemed like he was listening to one half of a phone conversation. Finally the other boy spoke.

"So tell me, if you didn't have your nickname…would you really want to go around telling people who you really were?" He put the electronic device he had been prodding a moment ago in a large pocket of a ragged coat and leaned forward on the table. Tank seemed to think about this for a moment and then sighed.

"Good point." He said as he took another bite of his food. Jeremiah smiled.

"It is corny though, like everything else around here…including the instructors. Every time I see Drake I expect I'll find him in his room one day wearing a fur coat and makeup, filing his nails or something." Both boys thought about this long enough to allow the mental picture to surface then they burst out laughing.

Stephen thought it was a pleasant sound…especially since it wasn't directed at him.

Later, after both of the older boys packed up their stuff and said goodbye, Stephen was walking behind Tank quietly, thinking to himself. A question had formed in his mind while he was eating, and he was currently turning it over in the confines of his brain.

"Yes." Tank answered, making Stephen jump. "I am…but don't worry, mostly I turn it down."

Stephen frowned.

"What?"

"You were thinking that I was telepathic."

"Oh." Stephen said. "Yeah…right…"

Tank smiled at him.

"If your wondering whether I constantly read your thoughts then the answer is no. Mostly I try to stay out of people's heads." He was silent for a while before he spoke again. "Names are easy though. People wear their names on the top of their heads at all times…no matter what they call themselves."

_So what's yours then? _Stephen was surprised to find the question on the tip of his tongue. Something kept him from asking though. Even though the boy DID know his name…there were some things you didn't have to be a psychic to know. Knowing not to ask this question was one of them. What he settled for was this:

"So…why do people call you Tank anyways?" For a moment the boy was silent as he considered this. Stephen noticed that he looked sort of sad, and couldn't imagine why.

"I'm hard headed." He said. "Armored like a tank." He whispered mostly to himself. He seemed to shake himself mentally and offered Stephen another smile.

"Come on, we have a lot of training to do before dark. And I want to get to the highest rope before tomorrow morning." Stephen nodded…feeling slightly depressed as reality once again, reared its ugly head.

XXX

Stephen tried not to think about how much rope was left or how far up he was. The gloves _did_ help and were oddly comforting on his hands as he slowly ascended the cord. Once he started getting a little higher he noticed he was periodically closing his eyes…and wondered if that was good idea or not.

_Oh…I can't do this. _He thought, and then was almost startled badly enough to fall when Tank spoke from beside him.

"Yes you can. Just don't think about it so much." Stephen frowned.

"I thought you said you didn't read my mind all the time."

"I don't." Tank said. Stephen opened his eyes and looked at the boy beside him, mostly making sure that he had in fact made some progress and that Tank wasn't talking to him while standing on the floor at the bottom of the rope. To his relief and dismay he found he was in fact very high and Tank appeared to be standing more or less on nothing. He took a deep breath and started to climb again, his arms on fire. (Not literally of course. The training's not that strict.)

When he reached the top he was almost feverish with exhaustion, so it was both a relief and a surprise when he touched the edge of the platform. He opened his eyes and squinted at it.

_Now what? If he expects me to have enough strength to pull myself up he's mad._ He attempted it anyway, trying to forget that he had climbed a rope that almost went to the ceiling of a very high room. It didn't work. How did people do this? Tank landed on the platform above him and grabbed him by both wrists, hoisting him upwards.

When Stephen got on to his feet he swore for a moment that he would faint. For a second Tank's words seemed to come from far away, then they got louder when he started to come out of the momentary trance.

"Huh?" He said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I said you did it!" Tank said, smiling. "Look" Stephen looked down and automatically decided that was a bad idea.

"Gng!" Stephen said as he looked quickly away from the edge. For a moment he was hit by a strong sense of vertigo in which his only desire was to get back on the ground. He grabbed the side of the platform. Tank was watching him with what he could only assume was curiosity.

"Great…I did it, can we go back now." He said breathlessly. Tank smiled.

"Height problems?" Stephen nodded furiously. "Don't worry, the one outside is about 1/3 the size of this." He stuck his hand out, lifting Stephen off of the platform and gently lowering him to the ground telekinetically.

When Stephen got to the ground he straightened and watched Tank as he landed shortly after him.

"Sorry…I fell off a roof when I was six." Stephen said, feeling as though some sort of explanation were in order.

"That'll go away a bit once you get better at levitating." Tank said. "You always feel better about falling when you know you can catch yourself."

"I guess…" _They don't seem to bother you at all. _

"Nope…I grew up used to all sorts of heights…but I do have a severe case of hydrophobia…if that helps at all."

"I thought…"

"I know…I'll try to stop." Tank said, smiling. "And for the record I'm not mad and never expected you to pull yourself up onto the platform without help." Stephen smiled. It felt good. He hadn't smiled much since his father had sent him to this training center.

"Well…it's almost 8:00." Tank said, while looking down at his watch. "I guess this is a good time to call it a night." Stephen sagged with visible relief. He didn't think he could take much more training on that day. "We'll have to get up early tomorrow though and do it again."

Stephen nodded.

"Can you find your room from here?" Tank asked him. Stephen nodded.

"Good, I have to put a few things away." He turned back into the training room. Stephen paused for a moment then started out the door.

XXX

The way back to his room was uneventful and he barely noticed how long it took or where he was going until he reached the familiar dorm room. Unfortunately he had to share with two other boys, but he was currently too tired to worry about them.

When he opened the door both boys looked up at him from whatever they were doing. One boy, nicknamed Slug grinned wickedly when he saw him. The other almost hit him with a dart in the process of making it onto the target.

Stephen ignored both of them as he walked across the room, kicking his shoes off and then falling heavily onto his sheets. He would have probably fallen asleep right away if they hadn't decided to see who could hit him with the most indiscriminate objects. Eventually they both got tired of the game and went to bed themselves, leaving Stephen in a silence that engulfed him and carried him into sleep.

_!Dream Sequence!_

_Knot after knot he climbed up a meandering rope, his mind racing with frenzied thoughts that intermingled with the thoughts of others. _

_"I can't do it." He told himself. "It's impossible." Every time a negative thought entered his mind it appeared that the sky above him stretched ever higher. While below him, the children standing around the bottom of the platform, added to the roar of negativity constantly forming in his thoughts. _

_He climbed a bit higher, determined to reach the top, determined to ignore the voices of those who were holding him back…trying not to look down. _

_"Face it Stephen, you can't do anything, you worthless retard. You're a failure as a soldier…you're a failure as a human…you're a failure as a son." The voice of his father drifted out of the crowd. _

_Stephen reached towards the sky, as though he could grasp it and pull it closer, only to realize, in terror, that his hands were bare. _

_"Oh no…where are my gloves?" He began to slip. He bit his lip, as his hands burned over the thread of the rope, then he could feel it all over, the fire, the burning…he couldn't breathe. He started to choke and let go of the rope and saw that even though he hadn't gotten any higher, that the ground was still a very long ways away…but it was getting closer. And closer…and the sneering faces were crowding ever nearer and then…_

He woke up, bathed in sweat and gasping for air as if the oxygen in the small dark room had really grown thin while he was in the confines of his dream. He sat in his bed shaking for a while, listening to the sound of snoring coming from the other two beds, until he started to calm down. When he finally did, he got out of bed and started to rummage through a badly battered drawer filled with his stuff. He pulled out a jacket before closing it and heading towards the door into the room, grabbing his shoes and the pair of gloves he had slipped under his pillow, so that the other boys wouldn't touch them.

He closed the door quietly behind him and half walked, half hopped down the hallway as he tried to slip on his shoes without stopping. The exit sat at the end, a blanket of darkness looming beyond.

It had grown a little chilly since the sun had gone down and when Stephen stepped into the night air, he shivered, he also was aware that he could feel the occasional droplet of oncoming rain against his cheeks and forehead. He didn't care.

Ahead of him, the obstacle course emerged an ugly twisting thing in the pale luminosity of the lights, which were always on in the thick gloom of CLC.

Stephen slipped on the russet colored gloves and stepped forward, taking a deep breath. If it was any consolation, the wretched thing looked nothing like that thing in his dreams. It looked terrifying…but not nearly AS terrifying.

Stephen decided that if he could even get through a portion of the course tonight, it would set him a little more at ease for when he had to do the whole thing, and maybe help him to be a little more confident and eliminate at least the negativity coming from his own mind.

He had just started to climb the ladder at the start of the course when he heard someone cry out a little ways away. He froze in mid step, his eyes wide as a breath of cold wind struck him in the face. For a moment he just stood still and listened, waiting to see if the sound had been real or not. He was just about to start climbing again when he heard the sound of heavy panting.

Stephen dropped off of the ladder and walked to the side of the course, squinting into the darkness to see if he could see anything.

Further down, towards the end of the obstacle course where some of the harder challenges were, Stephen thought he saw movement in the wretched orange overhead lights. He looked towards the entrance some fifty feet away. On the one hand, he might be able to keep his distance and go unnoticed, but on the other hand, if he did get noticed…by, say the wrong sort of person, he could be in a lot of trouble. He bit his lip and, without realizing what he was doing, edged toward the figure, to see if he could make out who it was.

It was easy enough to go unnoticed in the shadows, and Stephen found that in certain circumstances, it was exceedingly easy for him to become VERY inconspicuous. Invisibility happened to be one of the few things he could do without failing miserably...it was a pity it didn't last longer in some situations.

As he neared the figure he noted, with relief that it wasn't one of the instructors, which is what he had feared most. He could automatically tell this because 1. It was obvious the person was male. 2. This male was not wearing a belly shirt. And 3. This male did not have long silver hair. And though it was hard to tell Edna's gender sometimes, he was quite certain the nurse would not be on the obstacle course at Twelve O' Clock in the morning.

The figure was standing on top of a tall platform, illuminated only slightly by the light. After he seemed to gain his breath a little, he leaned back on one foot and then launched himself forward. Stephen watched in awe as he vaulted over the large gap between one platform and another, grabbing a hold of a thin and rusty bar in the center and flipping over it as though he weighed absolutely nothing. When he had flipped over the bar once or twice, he let go and after a beautiful jump, where he seemed almost to be caught by the air and landed on two feet on the opposite platform. He had never seen anyone at CLC move like that. Some of the older students could get over the course without much difficulty but this man moved like an acrobat.

Stephen saw that this platform was better lit and under it the boy's features became more evident. His hair, an auburn red was slightly ruffled and hung in his face on one side. As he turned, he saw his face was young and his eyes blazed with steady determination, made more apparent by the crease in his eyebrows.

The boy sighed and reached out, his hand closing over a towel that had flown through the air and was currently floating a few feet away from him. He then stepped off of the platform and levitated to the ground, close to where Stephen was standing.

Stephen crouched behind a large structure jutting from a part of the training course and tried to back away, deciding to head back to entrance and wait for the boy to either move further away or leave.

This thought was terminated, however, when he saw the goggles and cap lying in the grass. Stephen looked back at the boy, who was drinking from a thermos under a large, dead looking tree only ten feet away. Now he was close enough to see the boy's build and the sleek black gloves on his long fingers.

_Tank! _He thought in astonishment. _But…he looks so…normal! _Another part of his mind was reminding him of how stupid that sounded. Of course he looked normal! What did he think he looked like beneath his cap and goggles?

The boy put the thermos down and wiped his mouth, leaning against the tree in exhaustion as he did. He was closing his eyes and had just reached out his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow when he paused and opened them again. His hand fell and he looked in the direction where Stephen was sitting. Stephen held his breath and cupped a hand over his lips. (He later realized how dumb this was…but it had seemed a good idea at the time.)

The boy approached him slowly. Stephen realized with horror that he felt the boy reaching out for him with his mind. Finally Tank was only a few steps away. He leaned down and reached out with his hand as though to test whether it would pass through the empty air or not. Stephen had sucked in his breath and was watching in terror as Tank's fingers hung an inch away from his chest. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Tank pulled his hand away. Stephen resisted the urge to sigh with relief. He looked up and for a moment swore that when he met Tank's eyes that his invisibility had worn off entirely. Then, the emerald irises shifted to the goggles on the ground next to him.

Tank picked them up and pulled them over his head, fixing them over his eyes with care. When he picked up the cap he shoved it in his coat pocket and stood. The water bottle, which was still on the ground under the tree, arose into the darkness apparently of it's own volition and drifted until it stopped, bobbing an inch from his ear.

Tank stood for a moment, apparently thinking something over before he grabbed the water bottle and pulled his coat closer around him. He began to slowly walk back towards the building.

Stephen waited for a while until he was sure he was gone and then stood. After a while it began to rain. Stephen thought about going back in, but decided against it as his dream returned to him. For the next couple of hours he trained as best as he could by himself on the obstacle course as an array of busy thoughts flitted through his mind.

XX

Wow…tell me if I was off ok. For the last three or four pages I have been totally out of it. Also, I'm going to read back over the last couple pages, but tell me if I made any major mistakes. Lord, I've been writing for hours!

I love you all! It'll probably be a while before you get another update though…or…at least a few days…I think I need a day off from writing.


	6. Nightmares On Both Sides

Chapter Six:

Nightmares On Both Sides.

Stephen stumbled out of bed at 10:00 am. This was almost four hours after he usually was awakened by the almost ear splitting whistle which sounded each day at the crack of dawn. (Which was near impossible to avoid, for it was admitted not in sound, but in brain waves…ear plugs were ineffective.) He stared at the clock for a full minute before the time registered. When it did, he began to panic.

He hurriedly got out of his night clothes and began to rummage through his trunk to find a pair of clean socks. (Or dirty socks…you know…whatever.) In the corner, his shoes, splashed slightly with mud from the previous evening, sat waiting for him as he rushed out the door…and right into Kellen Chitt.

Kellen, who was nearly six feet tall and weighed roughly about 200 pounds (Purely muscle…although with age, the start of a pot belly was expected.) barely moved an inch as the scrawny boy collide with him. Stephen, however, was thrown to the ground.

When he looked up to see what he had run into, he stared on in horror as Kellen stood over him, his face masked with irritation and impatience. The large man examined Stephen for a long moment before suspicion was added to these two emotions.

"Cadet 152?" He said, as he examined the door in which the boy had rushed through. "Your just arising?"

Stephen sat, tongue tied as the man stared at him skeptically.

"Uhh." He started, not entirely sure what he meant to say. A shadow crossed over the older mans face.

"It isn't precisely wise to be wasting time…don't you think? Particularly with your severely limited skills." Stephen was still gawking at him when the man grabbed him by his sleeve and pulled him harshly to his feet. "Come! I think we must have a word with your trainer. If he is being so careless as to let his student relax when he should be working harder then ever…perhaps we should remind him of the vastness of his duty."

With that, he dragged Stephen down the hall, who had to nearly jog to keep up with his sleeve, still clutched within the mans unyielding fingers. The direction in which they were heading was the advanced dorms…used mainly for the particularly talented individuals at the facility. Kellen stopped in front of one door in particular, shoving Stephen a bit to the right and rapping on it heavily.

From within, there was only silence.

Kellen grew momentarily impatient, as he knocked a second time with more force.

"Agent 04, if you are in there it would be wise for you to answer now!" After this, there was a slight rustle from beyond the door and then the sound of locks being removed. Tanks visage appeared a moment later as he pulled the large oak door open slowly and looked out. It was clear by the way he was standing and acting that he had just awakened a moment before. (With the time, apparently, only to pull on his cap, which was not entirely covering his purplish red hair, and his goggles, which were slightly crooked.)

"Nice of you to join us, Agent 04. I might remind you, you have less then twenty four hours to get agent 152, here, over the entire obstacle course." He looked at his watch. "It is now 10:15 and you and him both, apparently, have taken into sleeping in."

Tank was watching Kellen groggily as he talked and patiently awaiting the moment when the man would stop. As he waited, the tall boy straightened his goggles and tucked the few stray hairs into his hat. Beside Kellen, Stephen watched him and envied the calmness in which he went about doing this. (In the face of Kellen, who was clearly unhappy with him.) Kellen finished and waited for Tank's answer, looking slightly aggravated as he did.

"I know it's late." Tank said, peering at his own clock. "But Stephen was up really late last night, and early into the morning…and I didn't think that rushing him today would do much for his energy." Stephen blinked, and then carefully avoided Tank's eyes.

He HAD seen him the night before…or at least he had read his thoughts. Really, Stephen wasn't all that surprised. He assumed that if Tank could accidentally hear everything he was thinking when he wasn't trying to…that he should have easily been able to find his mind if he put any effort behind it.

Kellen still looked angry.

"Still, Agent 04…I'm not particularly pleased that you…allowed him to avoid his wake up call." Kellen's eyes were sharp…and his look had knives in it.

"It had better not be an every day thing." Tank smiled then, further agitating the man.

"After today, he wont be here to avoid _or_ obey his wake up call." Tank backed into his room a little. "Stephen, I have to change out of my Pj's, but you can come in so you don't have to wait in the hall." He said.

Stephen walked around Kellen (Making sure to stay as far away from the man as possible.) and slipped into the darkness of the older boys room. As Tank started to close the door, Kellen spoke.

"I feel the almost urgent need to remind you where you are." Tank opened the door again, but only by a slit. "And who you are…Agent 04…" Tank gave him a dark look before shutting the door in his glaring face.

Stephen stood awkwardly in the older boy's room as he passed through the shadows and opened the windows on either side of his bed.

"This'll only take a sec. Please don't touch anything." He said as he grabbed his uniform off of a desk that was sitting against a bare gray wall and headed into the bathroom. (Which he shared with the room beside his. Not precisely elegant…but much better then the younger kids accommodations, for they shared one large bathroom between the lot of them.)

Stephen shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around the room absently. It was, for the most part very simple and routine. The windows, dressed with the sort of grayish blinds that when up or down were dusty, and let in little sunlight even when they were open. In one corner was a heater, which was set on low (And rattling just enough to be distracting.) His desk had one or two pieces of paper and a desk light, with no light bulb in it. The only thing that seemed at all out of place in the tiny room was a large poster over his bed, which showed a group of Acrobats in a circus that probably, by now, no longer existed.

Stephen approached it and stared at it for a while, wondering, lightly, why Tank even had it.

XXX

Tank was leaning forward, bent over the counter in the bathroom. He put two gloved fingers underneath one of his bright green eyes and stretched the skin, slightly, examining the dark shadows that had accumulated beneath. He had been dreaming again and for the last couple of nights it had kept him from sleeping too well.

Above his right eyebrow a thin and faded scar ran all the way up to his hairline. He traced it with his finger, feeling a distant tingling sensation in the confines of his skull. Aside from that, his face was nearly flawless. He wasn't particularly handsome, in the general sense. (He was far too slim and his appearance held the peculiar quality of someone who has traveled a long ways and endured far more in his life then most and was made rough around the edges because of it.) But he was attractive in his own thin and puzzling way, sometimes more so to certain people, who could have cared less about the tall, dark and handsome men of life.

Tank pulled the hat over his purplish red hair and pulled the goggles up from where they rested around his neck, before leaving the bathroom, clothed in the stiff fabric that put him in the mind of leotards and tight leather. When he got back to Stephen, the boy was staring at the circus poster on the wall

"'S old, from almost six years ago." He said, making the boy jump.

"You like the circus?" He said, in a slightly unbelieving way.

"Not at all. I can't stand it actually." He said, while pulling a coat from the arms of an old looking chair.

"Why do you keep it up?" Stephen asked.

The older boy thought for a moment.

"To…remember, I guess. Come on, we need to get going if we want to get a decent training in for today, and still have you to bed early enough so you'll have energy for tomorrow." Tank said as he pulled open the door.

"Uhh…" Stephen said quietly. Tank paused, and turned, already, for the most part, knowing what the younger boy would say.

"I didn't mean to…you know…see you last night…It was sort of an accident."

Tank smiled.

"Hey, no problem. It's not that big of a deal." He said as he opened the door wide enough for the younger boy to go through. Stephen slipped by him and started, automatically to walk down the hall towards the training room. For a moment Tank stood in his door and stared at the poster over his bed, before he turned the lights off and it was bathed in darkness.

He then shut the door after him and headed down the hall after Stephen, thinking, that he'd try to train him a little differently today. After all, he had folded away numerous methods with which he himself had come accustomed to as a child, and though rigorous, they always seemed to do the trick. The only alteration was that he was probably not going to test Stephen to the extent that his own father had tested him. (At one point he had actually believed that his father wanted to kill him…that, of course had been a misunderstanding…a very LARGE misunderstanding.)

In any case, he was going to make sure that Stephen got over the obstacle course.

XXX

_She was strapped down to a cold metal chair. She could feel it against her bare flesh, having been stripped down to next to nothing (Save that which covered her in the necessary areas.) Her mind was fuzzy and her head ached badly. It felt as though something knocking against the inside of her skull and filling her ears with a HORRIBLE ringing sound. She felt that if she heard the sound for much longer it would drive her mad._

_Vaguely, as though from far away she felt someone touching her forehead. She also heard voices…but only as whispers…and they weren't coming in through her ears. After a while she became aware enough of the presence of one man, speaking to her occasionally, and chatting away continuously within the confines of his diseased mind. _

_"Remain still now, or I will slit your throat." The man said casually, as she started to turn her head. She paused, and tried to clear her mind enough to comprehend where she was…who she was and who the man was, who was standing over her and drawing near with something shiny and metallic. _

_"Now now, don't fret, this will hurt _immensely_…but it will be all over soon." She cried out a little as something cut deeply into her forehead, tracing, with a blade, from her eyebrow to the top of her forehead. Warm blood ran down her face and no effort was made to wipe it away. The man removed the blade from her head, and left her side momentarily to fetch something else. _

"_You know where I came up with this idea?" He whispered, mostly conversing with himself, for she could barely hear him for the pain on her forehead and fog within her mind. "I came up with it on a white bed with white sheets overlooking the ocean. It came to me in a dream. I thought, what if…? And here we are. You can be my lab rat." _

_She felt something shoved under her skin, in a forced manner, but that, though very painful, was not the worst of it. What made her bare her teeth to keep from screaming was the pain it caused beneath the flesh, in the mind. One moment her brain was filled with fog, the next it was frozen. I felt like brain freeze, if brain freeze was all over and magnified by three or four times. She tried to break free of the bonds and grab the wretched thing out from beneath her flesh, to STOP the sick maddening sensation, even if it meant ending all other brain functions in the process. She couldn't stand it. It was awful._

_The man laughed._

"_Haha, just testing. Don't worry, it wont always be like that." And with that, the pain stopped. She relaxed, her heart beating quickly, the shock nearly making her sick along with her throbbing head. She could still feel the thing inside her mind, but it was but a whisper and was now, entirely bearable. _

"_There now…remember that pain, friend…for it will be that pain that you feel when that thing is active. It will, of course, remain inactive, as long as you do as I say."_

_As her heart beat began to return to normal, a memory flashed before her eyes, of a man and three others, and agony…and Oh hell, he killed the girl. Right in front of her, he killed the girl._

"_Never. I'd rather my brain explode…Go ahead, turn it on, slit my throat, just get the hell away from me." She said hoarsely. _

_The man smiled, his image, now fuzzy, but slowly appearing in front of her. _

_"You know, somehow I thought you'd say something like that." There was laughter in his words. He then set something aside and leaned in, his lips but an inch from her ear._

_"If physical pain will not haunt your dreams, then perhaps this will." He whispered. _

_Suddenly, she felt herself rising, rising out of her body and watching the man from above, seeing his lips move, but not hearing a word he was saying. It was important…she knew that much. The whole thing was important. Still it was slipping away._

_It all went dark._

_What she left this world with was the feeling of warmth and comfort in a place that had gone from her years before, where a boy was speaking to her softly and stroking her hair._

_It was only a pity that this part of the dream did not last longer and that the other part had not dragged on for so long. _

Lili woke up with a terrible headache and an even worse sense of loss and misery. Such emotions always seemed much stronger after she dreamt about him. She shifted in her bed and leaned down over the edge to touch a box that was currently lying in the darkness under her mattress. After she got a good hold of it she pulled it out and reached down into its depths, in search for something in particular.

What she pulled out were a pair of large goggles. She loosened the band around them slightly and pulled them over her head, letting them rest around her neck. She then threw her feet over the side of her sheets and blankets and stepped down, barefoot onto the cold ground, kicking the box back under her bed as she stood.

She touched the large lenses of the goggles lightly, feeling slightly pained as she did. Then pulled them up over her eyes and walked through a scarlet world to a chair by her window.

She sat and tried to think of the painful dream, in which she was held in detainment. She tried to remember the pain and the words spoken…and the man…because she felt, that somehow it all meant something. (She had had nightmares before that had turned out to be a vision of things to come or things that had occured and no longer, in any way, took the images that came to her in the night for granted.)

Still, no matter how hard she tried, she felt the dream dissipate, as it became the warm fingers in her hair and a deep longing in her heart. She closed her eyes and leaned back and tried to forget and make the pain go away. Instead, as these things usually tend to do, the warmth increased, as well, at least momentarily as the emptiness and loss that came along with it…this was before everything was taken away as she fell into a light doze and was allowed to drift, for a brief period, in a place that would soon be ripped from her, something from years before.

XXX

There…I sorta took a little break…almost. Tell me if I'm starting to lose this story. This chapter is sort of just…killing space…I'm going to try to get the story moving along more in the next chapter. Thank you for your reviews, it amazes me how much some of you can write, as I never know what to say. More updates soon.


	7. To The Obstacle Course

Chapter 7:

To The Obstacle Course

Whispering Rock Psychic Summer camp was in operation from early June to late August, and was outside of those months, kept fairly out of bounds due to dangerous mutations in the wildlife and the unsafe possibility of coming into contact with dangerous chemicals and substances, which for years had been shielded from the public. Still, if one were to walk outside the large fence…and supposing they could see through it, they might see a lone figure wondering about the grounds and keeping things clean and in operation. They might also see that this same figure could be found in all manner of places, wearing different outfits, each one matched to a different personality. Then they'd probably have to run away because of the telekinetic bears.

Pieces of Ford Cruller were scattered all about the camp. Pieces of his mind sent projections of his various personalities to keep an eye on different parts of the area, in case something did go wrong, or make it's way past the large looming walls.

Sometimes, though very rarely, because he feared leaving his sanctuary for any long period of time, he would project his mind into a personality to get a more personal look on the area…and rarely, if the situation called for it he headed up himself to take a closer look. Since he had made the underground regions of Whispering Rock his permanent residency, he had left only a handful of times, mostly only a few moments, and on one rare occasion a full day.

It was for this reason that, had Sasha or Milla viewed him walking down the winding dock to the place where the aquatank was, which was very RARELY used…and only recently retrieved from the bottom of the lake, where, a certain ten year old boy had left it six years before, they would have been very concerned. In normal circumstances Ford might have sent Morry to investigate this…but since Morry was somewhere being the Psychonaut equivalent of a secretary, he had to take on the job himself.

Ford stepped along the dock carefully, enjoying the feeling of the fresh air on his wrinkled face, despite the concern that had pushed him to coming out from underground. He ascended the steps to the Underwater Tank, which sat like a great fish, attached to the harbor with rusty chains and rested his hand on the ledge as he stood on the platform and stared at it.

It would have looked, to someone who didn't spend all his or her time at Whispering Rock, as if that there was nothing out of the ordinary about the device. It was getting old certainly, but it was still in operation…in fact, from the light moistness on the chains and body, not to mention the sucker fish and starfish still attached to the flank, it appeared as though someone had used it very recently. Ford frowned and touched the side, then dragged his hand to the chain, which he pulled; it came loose from the hook where it was attached.

"Someone who doesn't know how to clean up after themselves." He said to himself. He then pulled the starfish and the sucker fish, which automatically clasped onto his hand painfully, off of the side and threw them back into Lake Oblongata.

After examining the outside for a bit longer he pulled open the heavy door and leaned in, looking at the sides and seat for anything out of the ordinary. There didn't appear to be any fingerprints, meaning whoever had been inside was either REALLY careful or they were wearing gloves. But there was a bit of dust or ash on the seat. Ford pulled his glove off and touched it lightly. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed it.

"Tobacco." Ford said, after tasting a bit and spitting it out afterwards. The only person he knew that smoked and spent andy time around the campgrounds was Sasha…and Sasha NEVER used the Tank, mostly because when he got inside his knees went up to his face and he came back out again with back problems and severe neck strain.

Ford shut the heavy door and then connected the chains to the hook properly before heading back to the beach. He figured he couldn't do much about his discovery now. He would have to wait until either Sasha or Milla or even Morry came by to visit.

The thing about the Psychic camp was, when something appeared to be tampered with one could not assume that it had simply been troublesome teenagers fooling around, because no ordinary teenager could get into the grounds of Whispering Rock. When it was a psychic camp, run by the government, in a location that had been closed off from the public years before…one had to assume the worst.

XXX

Stephen was slowly ascending a net, his mind filled with thoughts of weakness and determination. Tank was somewhere in the room, keeping his thoughts, for the moment, to himself and doing little to encourage or discourage the younger boy. Earlier in the day, when they had first started out Tank had attached weights to the boy's ankles and had told him to do everything they had done the day before with them on. Apparently, his own father had taught him this way, when he was much younger then Stephen.

It was hard. He had been at it for hours. Finally, after what seemed like forever he made the platform, and was able to pull himself up. He laid back and panted on his back, waiting for Tank to either congratulate him and give him a break or to tell him to get up and keep going. He did neither.

After a few minutes when the boy regained some of his strength he sat up and looked around for the older boy. He found him, FAR down on the ground, sitting in the corner and leaning on one arm.

He swallowed and closed his eyes as he inched his way down the ladder on the side of the platform back towards the floor. When he felt his feet touch, he opened his eyes and walked on legs that felt like jello, towards Tank, whom he realized, to his amusement, was snoring softly.

He looked up at the clock on the wall, and was surprised to see it was about 5:30, then leaned forward and touched Tank lightly on the arm, who came out of his sleep jerkily.

"Erm…no water." He said, then, took in the room and Stephen, who had one eyebrow raised and reached up to wipe his eye, only to find the lens of a goggle. He hoisted himself up into at least a sitting position and looked up at the clock.

"Sorry, didn't get much sleep last night." He said after a moment, following shortly after with a yawn. "How far did you get?"

Stephen pointed to the white net in the center of the room.

"About halfway." He said, a little embarrassedly. Tank nodded.

"That'll have to do then. If I work you much more it won't matter how ready you are for the course. Go ahead and take the weights off and get some rest."

Stephen blinked.

"We're done?" He said, in a slightly worried, but unwillingly relieved voice.

Tank nodded.

"Yup, done until tomorrow morning when you take on the course." He said. He didn't seem worried.

"I…um…am not sure I'm ready." Stephen said uncomfortably. Tank stood and clapped the boy on the back.

"Your more ready then you think. Just keep your thoughts positive and make sure you have the gloves and you'll do all right."

Stephen smiled, a little forcedly and then bent down to take the weights off of his ankles. He handed them to Tank when the older boy offered to take them. Then, waited as Tank put everything back in it's place. The boy turned back and put his gloved hand on Stephen's back, between his shoulders, to lead him out the door.

He locked the door behind him as they left the room and shoved the keycard back into his pocket. They both walked down the hallway in silence, until; finally, Stephen decided to speak.

"Uhh…even if I don't…you know…make it over the obstacle course tomorrow. I just wanted to… to thank you." He said a little awkwardly.

"Don't mention it." Tank responded. "Not a big deal." Stephen stared at the floor for a moment before looking up again.

"Well…see…it kind of is to me…because…no one's ever bothered with me before." Tank stopped and watched the younger boy for a moment before leaning slightly and grasping his shoulder in a friendly manner.

"That's only because your around the wrong sort of people here, Stephen." He said gently. "Tomorrow, that'll change and although I can't promise you that things will be entirely different over there, I can assure you that it won't be as bad as it is here. But it won't happen if you listen to those bullies." The boy then pulled him into a half embrace, a thing which Stephen was quite unaccustomed to. He spoke in the bitter and desperate tones of someone who was trying to save someone from drowning, when they themselves are attached to a large boulder that was dragging them far down into the darkness of the very deep sea. For a moment, Stephen felt an immense and almost confounded pity for him.

"_You_ don't belong here." Tank said sternly. He then stood, looking tired and sad.

"I'm going to bed, I'm exhausted. But I'll be up tomorrow to see you. Good luck." He said, and then he walked down the hall towards his room.

Stephen watched him go, then pulled off his leather gloves and stuffed them in his pocket. He walked towards the mess hall, for by then he hadn't had anything to eat all day and was starved. His mind wondered as he did. He barely noticed as people passed him by.

XXX

Tank sighed and pulled the key to his room out of his pocket, his mind filled with concerns about the next day and the inviting thoughts of sleep that awaited him from inside. There was a click from the lock giving, and then just as he touched the knob to go in a shadow fell on the wall and a dark thought flashed through his mind. He turned.

"What do you want?" He asked Kellen in a weary voice as the man watched him carefully.

"You. As always, Agent 04." The man said in a soft and dangerous voice. "Dragon brought me more of the stuff today...but not enough. What I have…is yours…what I need…you will fetch for me. Cadmus is a poor replacement for you, boy, though he'd slit his wrists if I ever said so to his face."

"You know." Tank said in a perfectly serious voice. "You sound like a dirty old man when you say you want me." Kellen's lips tightened and he grabbed the boy by the collar.

"Bite your sharp tongue boy." He said softly. "You will come with me, and if you speak again in any manner I dislike I will make this severely painful for you." Tank shook out of his grip then and reached for his door.

"Forget it, Stephen's doing the obstacle course tomorrow. I want to be conscious for it. The last time you stuck that stuff in my head I was out for three days." Kellen grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward.

"I'm afraid that this is not your choice to make." He leaned forward then and whispered, as though he were muttering a curse. "You understand that Razputin?" He backed away and his voice was back to normal. Raz clenched his jaw as he heard his name. "Besides, this way you will not be tempted to cheat tomorrow."

He yanked the boy along behind him, towards a room far deeper in the institution.

XXX

Stephen woke up the next morning with his stomach in knots and, despite the cruel words from his roommates; tried his best to think as positively as he could about the events that would soon follow.

The morning dragged on almost painfully as he went to breakfast, barely touching his meal at all. He ate in the corner and ignored the eyes of various students as they glared at the back of his head. The whole time, his heart was thumping loudly and he got random bursts of adrenaline. For a moment, he was afraid he'd have a panic attack.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out Tank's leather gloves, pulling them over his fingers and seeking some sort of comfort in them. He wished that the boy was there right then, just so he could ease his mind a little.

Forty minutes went by, where Stephen was only able to pick at his eggs and drink a sip or two of his orange juice. Subconsciously, he told himself that failing to eat would result in a poor performance on the Obstacle course, but that did not improve his appetite in the least. Because of his nerves, he felt far too nauseous to eat. Mostly, he just stared down at his table and concentrated on not thinking too much, or tried to think about other things.

When the loudspeaker emitted a loud and maddening sound, Stephen's heart jumped up to his throat.

"All cheeldren shall report to thee obstacle course in fihve meenuts. Do not be layt." Dragon's voice announced. There was bitter amusement in his prissy accent. Stephen shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He tightened his fingers in the gloves and swallowed, feeling a sick lump in his throat as he did. He tried not to think of falling.

XXX

Later, much later, he would think back on this day, at how the sun was far too bright and the faces around him watched him like predators, each ready to pounce the minute he showed any signs of weakness. Apparently word had gotten around that this run through on the obstacle course could very well be his last.

In days to come, he would think about how his feet had threatened to tangle up…and how he wouldn't let them. He would think about how his legs wanted to collapse…and how they didn't. He would think about how he heard the voices taunting, and how he felt the sensation of falling while standing on solid ground…and how the voices just sounded like noise, and how he kept walking straight and standing as tall as he could. And he thought about Tank. Not Tank how everyone saw him, but Tank how Stephen had come to see him in the last couple days; Tank with reddish purplish hair and bright green eyes and a determined and fierce expression on his young face.

He would think about how when he got onto the obstacle course and when he touched the sides and began to go through something that he had failed at so many times before, how surprised he was when he got over the first task and how easily he climbed up the rope over the barbed wire…and how light he felt without the weights holding him down.

XXX

The Nose, once called Benny Fideleo, a Psycadet, had started the morning quite cheerfully. When the pale skinny boy with messy hair, oversized hand me down clothes and wounded eyes climbed the steps of the obstacle course, Benny nudged his friends and they laughed.

"When he falls…" He said, leaning towards one boy and nearly poking his eye out with his massive ear. "Be ready to throw the remains of your breakfast at him. Then tonight, before he gets kicked out of the academy, we'll hang him up at the end of the obstacle course by his feet…hehe…how else is he gonna get there right?" The boys laughed and straightened, watching, in amusement as Stephen began making his way down the course.

When it became apparent that he wasn't falling, or struggling, their mood began to change. It went from amusement and cruel anticipation, to annoyance and slight disbelief.

"There's no way that goggle faced SOB could get him all the way through the course in two freaking days." Benny said angrily. One of the dumber boys seemed to think for a moment (Looking as though he was constipated as he did.) before questioning Benny confusedly.

"What's a sob, Nose?" Benny glared at him.

"Shut up, Shorty."

XXX

He was over halfway through before he began to feel the strain. He had expected it to come sooner or later. He didn't think it would be that easy all the way through. But Tank had been right…it WAS a lot easier then he thought. Without the mental scorn, weights, and with the gloves and the long training sessions, it had become much easier then before. All he had to do was not think about falling.

_You see _that_; see the ground Stephen…it's a long way off isn't it? Maybe you'll think about how far it is the next time you try to sneak out of your window. I locked you in your room for a reason, boy. What's that? Wanna go down? Is that it? Oh now the height scares you. Fine! We'll go down, I'll meet you at the bottom. _

Stephen shook his head and tried to focus on the bars. Only fifteen or so left to go. He had gloves; he wasn't going to slip…as long as he didn't think about falling.

_His father's breath had smelled of whiskey. Stephen liked to think that it wouldn't have been as bad if he hadn't been drunk and that he'd only meant to scare him...but nevertheless his grip lessened. It was a sickening fall, right to the part when his left leg and arm cracked at the bottom. He wore a cast on both for months…and after he would still have to wear something on his leg on and off for the rest of his life. Or so the doctor had said. His father hadn't bothered with it, so one of his legs was slightly crooked…so slightly that one could hardly tell. But after he had been on it for too long, it hurt SO badly sometimes._

He was going to fall. He knew it. He was going to fall because he always fell, because he would never reach the end. He would never reach the end because he was worthless. He felt his fingers weaken as he imagined the fall below. But right before he let go he felt invisible fingers around his wrists.

_If you let go, it's all over. Keep going. _

Stephen blinked as Tanks voice filled his head. His fingers tightened.

"I don't think I can." He said softly.

_You can. _

And then there was silence. Stephen grabbed a hold of another bar and slowly began to progress again. After a few moments, he let go…and landed on the platform at the end of the first section of the obstacle course. To him, the rest looked impossible…and his heart sank.

_You've faced worse…keep going. _He nodded hopelessly and did as he was told. There was a net, which he got tangled in, but only for a moment. There were two more ropes, each further up. Neither of them was as high up as the one in Tank's obstacle course. He thought of it as he climbed these. It was still hard…because it was always hard. But there was a difference between what you couldn't do, and what you didn't think you could to do. He almost couldn't pull himself up after the last rope. Then, the only thing left was the two bars, five feet from each other…so that it was impossible to simply swing through them, and then jump onto the sliding bar, connected to the rope, and down to the final platform.

"Tank…" he whispered. "I can't do this." He looked on the bars in disbelief. They hadn't trained for this. What was he suppose to do? The answer came.

_Sure you can. Levitate. He never said you couldn't levitate. Show him. Show them all. _

He tried not to think about it as he leaned back on one foot and launched himself forward, catching the bar as his heart missed a beat, and barely by an inch. Levitate? He swung on the bar, back and forth and jumped forward, catching himself with the most simple form of levitation, which resembled a balloon shaped ball of energy, and managed to catch the edge of the platform as it blinked out.

With some effort he pulled himself up and then, with no thoughts of jumping or trying to finish triumphantly, he reached out and grabbed the sliding bar and landed on the platform at the end of the course. The fact that he didn't land on his feet, but rather laying on his back, panting, without any plan of getting up again, did not change the fact that he had made it.

"Tank." He whispered to himself. "I did it."

XXX

I know it ran LONG at the end. Forgive me for this. Now that I have this part over with I can get onto the important parts of the story. I love you all and your reviews and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite its lack of interesting events.

It appears that I have been in a writing frenzy lately. I hope you wont expect this of me always, for I imagine once my creative juices are used up, I'll probably fall into a slump again. We'll both just enjoy this while it lasts. I really do appreciate your reviews. They are what keep me writing…aside from the pure enjoyment I get from it, of course.


	8. Arriving At Psychonauts Headquarters

Chapter Eight:

Arriving At Psychonauts Headquarters

The sunlight was cold and dusty in Kellen's office and revealed the many things floating about in a cloud around Steven's head as he resisted the urge to brush it away. Kellen himself was sitting at his desk in front of him, watching him in a way that made Stephen very nervous. Finally, the man sighed and sat back.

"Very impressive, Cadet." He said as he pulled a stack of papers out of the top drawer and set them in front of him. "I'm…certainly surprised at your progress." He then folded his hands on his desk in front of him and met Stephen's nervous gaze. Above one eye a tiny metal plate connected from the inside of one ear, to halfway across his forehead, where a needle seemed to plunge into his skull. Stephen focused on it to keep from meeting the man's cool blue eyes.

"Well…I made a deal with Agent 04. And I must hold to it. So…as of today you are a Cerebral Soldier…and a spy." He said, pulling out the silver and black badge with the skull on it and tossing it across the desk at the young boy. Stephen stopped it with one thin, pale hand as it slid across the surface. He swallowed.

"Where is he?" He asked in a tiny voice. Kellen, who was searching through a few papers looked at the boy in a bored manner.

"Who?"

"Tank…he said he'd be out at the course this morning." His voice came out barely above a whisper. "I didn't see him."

"Sick." The man answered nonchalantly. "Temporarily confined to his bed. You won't see him for a few weeks." Stephen frowned and he dropped his eyes. After a moment, while he kept his gaze on the floor to the sound of rustling paper he looked up again.

"When am I supposed to leave?" He asked hesitantly. Kellen was making a stack of various papers and seemed, for a moment, to ignore him. When he did look up, he slid him the papers and then sat back again.

"Today." Stephen blinked.

"Er…then how will I see him in a couple weeks if…"

Kellen stood and crossed over to a file cabinet, interrupting Stephen as he spoke.

"In three weeks he will meet you three miles away from Psychonaut's Headquarters, in order to collect any information you may have retrieved. He's responsible for you because sending you was his idea. If you fail, you will both be punished. Do I make myself clear?" He turned towards Stephen who nodded sickly.

"Good, I have made arrangements for a taxi to drop you off in front of Psychonauts Headquarters. The papers will tell you everything you need to know about this mission…you will read them on the way and absorb the information as well as possible."

Kellen then pulled out a key and opened the top drawer in the file cabinet. He pulled out a small black case and crossed over to where Stephen was sitting and feeling overwhelmed. He handed it to him.

"The case is for retrieving information. There are instructions inside on how to use the items in the case. Good luck." With that, Kellen sat back behind his desk, pulled out a random file and began to read. After a moment, Stephen unfroze and slowly walked out the door making sure to grab everything the man had given him as he did.

He felt relief as he left the office and headed down the long hallways leading to the doors of CLC. Soon, he would be away from these people, and Kellen with his weighted gaze. And although he did not expect too much better of the place he was going to, he imagined it could not be much worse.

He was about halfway down the hall when a whisper in his head made him stop.

_Stephen…hold on a minute. _It was weak and seemed to come from far away, but Stephen still listened because he recognized it. He looked around him curiously till his eyes fell on Tank's door, a few feet away. It was slightly open. He walked towards it cautiously.

"Tank…is that you?" He asked, a little nervously. When he got to the tiny gap, all that was there was darkness. He pushed it open a little, revealing more darkness, the windows with the blinds drawn, and the Circus poster only slightly illuminated in the gloom. At his feet was a small blank envelope. He reached down and picked it up.

_Whatever Kellen gave you. Ignore it. This is all you'll need. _And with that, to Stephen's bewilderment he felt invisible hands come down on his shoulders firmly and shove him out of the room. He flew backwards, losing his footing and landing on the floor. In front of him, Tank's door slammed shut.

After a moment of silence, Stephen stood up and started to walk back down the hallway. He stopped briefly at his room to grab anything he wished to take with him to Psychonaut's Headquarters, then, without bothering to look back, he left his room behind him and headed for the sunlight spilling in from outside.

The taxi was there as Kellen had said it would be. Stephen opened the door, avoiding the various gazes of children watching him as they trained on the obstacle course. He lowered himself into a seat next to Hag, who gave him a look that one might give an insect.

"About time." She said in a dull voice. "I'll be escorting you as far as the front desk. Psychonauts are very strict about parental approval when it comes to children under the age of eighteen." Stephen didn't say anything, but shivered at the thought of being Andrea Chilli's offspring. Luckily, she was not a telepath.

As the cab rolled off of the concrete that served as The Chitt Learning Center's parking lot Stephen's gaze shifted, finally, to the large and looming building that had tormented him for what seemed like so long. Although he did not know it at the time, it was the last time he would ever have to look at it again.

XXX

The darkness was thick to Raz, who was lying in the long bed with the white sheets and staring at the ceiling. He was not wearing his uniform, goggles or hat, and was simply wearing a pair of boxers and a loose shirt. His auburn hair fell over his forehead, where pieces of it stuck as a result of a mixture of blood and sweat.

The only sound in the room was the low tick of the clock on the wall and the occasional sharp sighs from the young man while experiencing a particularly excruciating pain above his eye, where a bandage was wrapped, and nearly soaked through.

He swallowed and tried to shift his weight so that he might find a more comfortable position and escape reality for a while in the deceitful clutches of the dream world. He got dizzy and gave up, simply settling for the tiresome view of the white ceiling.

The voices were gone now. Sometimes they were loud and he could barely think for their shouting. That, along with the pain put him in a frustrated state of mind. Every time they came, he was reminded strongly of Boyd Cooper, the distraught security Guard at Thorny Towers Insane Asylum. He thought of standing behind the man and listening to him talk to himself…and how he thought that if he stood their long enough, things might start to make sense…and how much that scared him.

These voices were different though. Boyd was crazy, yes…but these voices were insane and warped in a way that went beyond the anger the ex security guard felt against the facility that abandoned him. These were the voices of someone who hated and loathed everything…and wanted to kill and destroy. These were the insane thoughts of a man who could play sane and get away with it. These were the inner thoughts of Kellen Chitt.

Raz understood what they meant. That was why he was in this room, enduring immense pain. For all he knew this operation was slowly killing him. That was why he was a Cerebral Soldier. Because he understood that by dumping his thoughts into him, Kellen had him where he wanted him. He was at the edge of sanity at all times, and Kellen was holding the rope. If he let it go Raz would fall into the dismal state of dementia and would do whatever he wanted him to. Raz knew…Kellen had done it before, just to show him. He remembered…because he still dreamed about it.

XXX

Stephen Arrived at Psychonaut's Headquarters at 12:00 p.m. When he got out of the Taxi, he stared in awe at the immensity of the building, which was in far better shape then the Chitt Learning Center, but at the same time almost twice as intimidating. Hag shoved him forward towards the gates, where a man was standing and looking at them both suspiciously.

"Good morning, sir." She said, smiling in a way that made her look as though she were in pain.

"No civilians allowed inside." He said, ignoring her smile. He pointed towards a nearby sign.

**High Discharge of Hazardous Energy Due To Unstable Chemicals**

"We aren't civilians. We are psychics. My son has been admitted to this facility for training." She handed him a stack of forged papers, which he stared at for a moment before nodding at her and opening the doors.

"I apologize for the inconvenience." He said as the two stepped through and headed towards the large doors that led into Psychonauts HQ. Stephen trailed a few steps behind Andrea, taking in the scenery around him as he did.

The building was huge and had a lot of windows, which lined the structure from wall to wall. Each window was large and tinted, so that one could see out of it, but not in. There were various decks on the upper levels, large and for the most part out of sight, and surrounded but wall lights so that they were well lit in the late evenings. Parts of the building were made out of glass…these parts were ordinary, either insignificant offices, or hallways which most likely led to places far more interesting. Other then that it resembled an ordinary office building…except bigger.

Andrea walked in the front doors, which slid open, whether this was telekinesis or simple mechanics, Stephen did not know. Inside, was a large and smartly designed room with a desk in the center. Behind the desk, a blond woman was talking on the phone while papers organized themselves in front of her and a spoon stirred her coffee.

When Andrea and Stephen walked up, the woman looked up at them and smiled thinly. She put her finger up to show she was busy and in the meantime floated a paper over to Andrea, which asked for her basic information. Andrea began to fill it out with little patience as Stephen continued to look around.

From one-door two men with white coats emerged carrying something between them, though their hands didn't touch it and their feet didn't touch the ground. They crossed, through, paying Stephen no mind, and entered another door on the far side of the room.

The woman at the desk put down the phone and folded her hands in font of her.

"Can I help you?" She asked in an amiable manner.

"Yes," Andrea answered callously. "My son is here to train as a Psychonaut. Where does he need to go?" The woman nodded.

"Okay, I just need to see his papers and you need to answer a few questions. If your information checks out he will be sent to the north wing, where he will be housed for a week and tested on his Psychic abilities. If he passes the test at the end of the week he'll then move on to Psychonaut training and be put in the dorm rooms until his training is complete." As she said all of this her fingers worked furiously over the keyboard in front of her.

"Yes?" Andrea said…a little stiffly. She gave Stephen a dismayed look. Obviously she wasn't counting on him to get past the first week.

"Okay," The woman continued, while taking the papers off of Andrea and examining them briefly. "Name please?" She asked, looking at Stephen.

"Stephen." He said quietly.

"Age?"

"Thirteen."

"Have you had any previous Psychonaut training at a camp…or have your parents been preparing you?"

Stephen looked up at Andrea who was glaring at him.

"Yeah…my parents taught me some stuff." He said slowly. The woman nodded and continued to ask her questions. This went on for some time, where she asked everything from his birthday, to his first sign of psychic ability. With each question Stephen noticed that Andrea grew more and more impatient.

Finally the woman finished and gave Stephen a bright and welcoming smile.

"I will escort you down to the North wing where you'll be given your temporary residency. Umm…" She looked at Andrea. "Would your mother like to come?"

"No." Andrea responded…perhaps too quickly. "I have another appointment." She looked at Stephen for a moment, and then turned to leave.

"Don't mess this up boy." She said as she went. The woman at the desk gave her an odd look, but it quickly vanished as she led Stephen down the hall towards his future room.

XXX

Short chapter, I know…and very boring, but bear with me for a little while. It'll (Hopefully.) Get more exciting as the story progresses. I had to up the rating to T, because I made the decision that in future chapters there would be a good deal more violence and some sexual occurrences. It won't be anything too graphic, just sort of an angsty/ fluff sort of deal. I've never had anything sexual in a posted story to date…so I decided to make this one the first.

To TJ1313: I just want to thank you for showing any concern in your reviews in both stories. It's nice to be reminded to take a break every once in a while…even if me eagerness at some times prevents it. (I had to force myself to sit down with some coffee and snacks and watch a movie to prevent from writing after that first week when I started this story.) Still your consideration is appreciated.

To FluffleNeCharka: Haha…it's always a pleasure to see what words you will come up with. I'm glad you enjoy my story.


	9. Tank's Letter

Chapter Nine:

The Letter/ Raz's Task

"Here we are." The woman said when they reached the end of the hall. Directly in front of them was a glass door with the words; **Student Facilities** on it. "Just head inside. Whoever's working the desk today can show you to your temporary quarters." She smiled and headed back towards her own desk, leaving Stephen to stand in front of the massive doors by himself. He took a deep breath and headed inside.

What greeted him was what could have been either a lounge or a waiting room and appeared to serve as both. There were various chairs and cushions set about. A TV screen was hanging on the wall; it was flipping persistently through several channels, an action, apparently being performed by a blonde boy who was lounging and looking quite bored. In a far corner, by herself a girl was meditating, while a scented candle lit itself over and over in front of her. Other then that there were two boys playing a game of cards and at a desk, a small irate looking man who looked as though he would gladly be unpleasant to the first person who disagreed with him.

Unfortunately Stephen recognized this to be the man of which the secretary had spoken. He walked slowly towards the desk, going unnoticed by the kids who seemed to be rapped up in their own things. The man looked up from something he was reading, and automatically looked past Stephen and towards the blonde boy.

"Nils! I told you to keep it on one channel! Were supposed to be monitoring news reports not looking for the hottest R rated film!" For a small man, Stephen noted, while flinching a bit, he had a large and barking voice. The boy on the couch made a face and the screen turned to channel four, where two nicely dressed and fully clothed…which seemed to upset the blonde boy, news reporters were going on a about a flood in the East.

"And don't make me have to tell you again, soldier!" The man yelled, before looking down at Stephen, and apparently seeing him for the first time.

"What is it?" He said, edgily.

"Uhh…I'm supposed to be assigned a room." Stephen said, a little nervously. The man glared down at him for a moment. He grabbed a key randomly from the wall and tossed it at the small boy, who made to grab for it and missed. Stephen frowned and bent down to pick it up from the floor.

"Hmph! Come on that was right at you! My grandma could have caught that…and she has only one leg!" Stephen raised his eyebrow.

"What does that have to do with catching something?" He said before he could stop himself. The man glared at him for a moment before turning back to what he had been reading.

"Just go find your room, I have more important things to do then yapping with you all day!"

Stephen looked down at the key, uncomfortably aware that he had inadvertently diverted the attention of the other people in the room, all except for one of the card players, who was sneaking an ace into his deck while his opponent was watching Stephen, and the girl in the corner, who appeared to be in her own world.

"Um…excuse me…" Stephen asked the man, who looked up again. "How do I know where my room is?"

"Numbers written right on the key…what are you blind too?" Stephen felt his face grow slightly warm when one of the boy's at the table snickered a little. He wondered if all schools all over the world were the same…it seemed like it hardly mattered where he went…he always wound up feeling like a loser.

"Calm down, Oleander." The girl in corner opened her eyes as the candle in front of her snuffed out and she rose from her cross-legged position. The card player, sensing that the show was over, returned to his game to find he had lost while his attention had been diverted. Oleander watched the girl's approach, his expression changing slightly.

"Ms. Zanotto." He grumbled.

She was about medium height and fairly pretty, but in a way that was often ignored because her eyes were filled incessantly with boredom and sarcasm which, matched with her constant frown, made her more likely to set a guy on fire…rather to ever agree to go out on a date with him. There was sadness there too, but very rarely, would someone that she did not know very well summon up the courage to ask her why

"Well…it _IS_ written on the key." Oleander said defensively, once she was standing in front of him.

"Yeah…but this building has at least fifteen student wings full of dorms." The girl responded, her voice edged in cynicism as she threw her hand out. The key the short man had just given him flew out of Stephen's hand and was caught neatly in her black finger glove. Stephen watched her cautiously.

"To the right, upstairs and three doors on your left." She said as she handed the key back to him and headed towards the glass doors he had entered a moment before.

"Thank you." He said quietly, before turning to the right, and avoiding the critical glare of the man at the desk. One of the boys who had been playing cards got up and followed behind him without him noticing. When he was about halfway down the hall, heading towards the stairs the boy tapped on his back and made him jump. He turned, a little warily.

He was holding something out to him.

"You dropped this back in the other room when Morry threw you the key." The boy said. Stephen recognized Tank's letter and grabbed it quickly from the boy, feeling, for a moment, a little sick. If he had left it behind he probably would have failed his mission right then and there.

"Uhh, thanks."

"Uh huh. Are you taking the Psycadet test?" Stephen nodded.

"Ah…well, good luck with that. Just be thankful Coach Oleander isn't teaching it." He said, while motioning towards the grumpy man at the desk, then turning back towards the lounge. Stephen looked at the letter, then stuffed it in his pocket and continued on to his room.

The door was exactly where the girl had said it would be. Stephen shoved the key in and opened it, not sure what to expect. What he found wasn't glorious, but it looked pretty clean and was large enough so as to prevent claustrophobia. Stephen stepped in and lowered his stuff onto a bed on the right. There was two, so it could be assumed he'd have a roommate, although, Stephen noticed they both looked unoccupied.

He pulled the letter out of his pocket and opened it. He had avoided doing so in front of Hag. Tanks messy writing covered two pages front and back. Vaguely Stephen wondered when he had written it. He shrugged and began to read.

The first page was covered in tips about how to behave in front of certain types of people, and, more importantly, how to keep his thoughts to himself in front of powerful telepaths. His suggestions seemed almost amusing, though it was clear he was being perfectly serious in his directions. He told Stephen that…

_Under no circumstances should you use any sort of appliance or tool that was offered to you by Kellen to keep people from reading your mind. I say this for several reasons, but mostly because anything like that can cause suspicion, and most of them don't work. About half of the kids at The Chitt Learning Center wear them and I can pick just about anything I want out of their heads. Instead, it's better to distract your mind in a way that'll make people steer clear of it and will keep you from thinking about too much of anything else. Pictures work sometimes…but even singing a particularly annoying song to yourself is generally good for keeping people out. _

And this particular fragment of the letter had been strange to Stephen;

_If you see a man with dark glasses and dark hair, who speaks in a German accent, don't use the song technique on him…he can pick pictures and other stuff easily out of your mind without trying too hard_. _Instead, think of the brightest, most colorful carnival glass lamp you can and hold that…if he does attempt to read your mind…it won't be for long. If he asks you about the picture, make up a story, like you collect them or something…he probably won't talk to you much after that._

Other then that he told Stephen to throw away all of the spy equipment Kellen had given him, and burn as much of it as he could with pyrokinesis. Stephen, who never learned pyrokinesis, simply found a box of matches in the drawer. It was never much of a concern to those in charge of keeping watch over student wing that any of the kids would use the matches unwisely…not because they thought them mature enough not to…but because if someone really wanted to start a fire inside…keeping the matches from them wouldn't do much good. Besides, most of the walls and floors were fireproof. He burned most of the stuff Kellen had given him in a trash can as Tank had instructed. He only kept the things that 1. Wouldn't burn. 2. Wouldn't cause too much suspicion, And 3. Was explosive. Stephen kept the small explosives under his mattress, making a mental note to get rid of them in a less foolish way.

Stephen got to the last paragraph of the letter, after following the instructions in the first three pages and read;

_Kellen may have told you that you will meet me in three weeks away from Psychonauts HQ. He was probably vague about this. He said to me that we should meet at least three miles away from the base. Well…we haven't listened to him up to this point…so why start now. Meet me three blocks away from Psychonauts HQ (Less walking distance.) at a café on the corner of Burgundy ST. It's called The Lucky Cup. Meet me at 3:00 A.M, no later on the sixteenth. Good luck, Stephen. I told you you'd make it. _

Stephen folded up the letter, then he took from his other pocket the Cerebral Soldier badge. He put that in the envelope and stuffed the whole thing in a book that looked sort of like a diary given to him to record his findings. After he ripped most of the pages out, both the letter and badge fit nicely within the cover. He locked the book and shoved it under his mattress with the explosives, hoping that they didn't check the rooms very often at Psychonauts HQ.

XXX

At sundown, Raz stumbled out of his room. The alarm he had set himself on his watch had gone off, but he hadn't needed it, because a much louder alarm had gone off in his head. Now it was pounding, just as it had finally gotten down to a bearable twinge. He wasn't dressed in his uniform, but rather was wearing a worn out shirt and pants, both dark and inconspicuous. He had traded in his goggles for a pair of sunglasses…for even the faint overheads that lined the halls of the school were far too bright.

Raz pushed open Kellen's door, finding the lights in his room were blessedly off. Kellen himself was apparently watching the sunset, which was for the most part obscured by heavy rain clouds.

"It's like a hangover isn't it? Or a migraine?" Kellen said when he walked up beside him. "Your on time tonight." Raz didn't answer.

Somewhere in the distance the sky rumbled ominously. _Great_, Raz thought to himself…of course it had to be raining as well.

"I'm impressed what you did with Cadet 152...well, I suppose it's agent 152 now, yes? For months Drake hasn't even been capable of getting him over ¼ of that course. You got him over the whole thing in two days." Kellen was watching him carefully. "I think that sort of accomplishment is worth some sort of an award." Raz's jaw tightened a little.

"And you shall have it…after tonight, you shall have it…but first, you must do this for me." He slung a sack over Raz's shoulder and then handed him what appeared to be a large diving helmet and a pair of bulky Hazard gloves. Raz looked down at them and sighed.

"You should leave immediately…and Razputin, don't do anything foolish. Take the truck and try to be back before sunrise…_with_ the Psitanium…and then we shall see about giving you a nice reward." He grinned as he motioned for Raz to take his leave.

Raz's eyes narrowed as he started towards the door.

"Oh…and Agent 04. When Drake went he said something about a strange old man wondering around that area. Try to avoid being seen."

Raz swallowed and nodded, heading out into the hall. He stopped back at his room to retrieve his raincoat and another smaller item and then made his way out into the coming storm.

XXX

Lili knocked lightly on the door to Milla's quarters at Psychonauts HQ. Her room was usually empty, unless the woman was about the facility and Lili was not really expecting for anyone to answer, but was trying just in case. No one did. She sighed and started to head down the hall, when the door across from Milla's room opened.

"Ms. Zanotto? I would have expected for you to have headed home by now." Lili turned, recognizing Sasha's accent.

"Oh…yeah…I just wanted to talk to Milla about something." She said uncomfortably.

"She's been gone since yesterday morning on business. Anything important?" Lili seemed to think about this for a moment, and then shook her head.

"No, it can wait." She said, while turning around, and preventing Sasha from asking any further questions. She felt his gaze on the back of her head for a moment, then the door shut quietly. She almost sighed out of relief, but was startled when she felt the tall German man's hand on her shoulder.

"Ms. Zanotto, I'm not asking you to share anything personal with me, and god forbid you should if it's…a feminine matter. But if it is important, perhaps waiting for Milla to return is not the wise decision." Lili turned, shedding his gloved hand from her shoulder as she did. She crossed her arms and gave him her typical blank expression, unreadable, both outward and in.

"I just had a dream. It's nothing." She said. For a moment the man seemed to scan her face, as if looking for the truth, then he gave up. Over the years, since Raz had disappeared she had developed an amazing ability to keep people out. Even someone as talented as Sasha found her exceptionally difficult to read.

"Alright then." He said. "But I hope you will not hesitate to talk if something does come up. Sometimes dreams should not be so easily disregarded. Remember that." He turned and headed back to his door.

"Good night Ms. Zanotto." Lili murmured a goodnight in return and headed towards the exit.

XXX


	10. Into The Deep

Chapter 10:

Into The Deep

The road was wet, and the rain came down hard on the windshield. The wipers, going back and forth, made screeching noises every time they crossed. It was beginning to drive Raz crazy.

He was still wearing the sunglasses to shield his eyes even from the fragmented light that came through the heavy clouds, along with them; he had the black hood of his raincoat pulled up over his hat and the divider down on the roof of the truck. His head was pounding and it alarmed him how the road floated in and out of his vision.

Every time he saw a car on the near abandoned side road he tensed up. He had never officially gotten his license. His only training, in fact came mostly from his younger days in the circus, and his first year of being a cerebral soldier. He wasn't a bad driver…not any worse then many other sixteen year olds anyway…but when he was as spaced out as he was now and he had no license, it made him feel uneasy.

The radio was going in and out…mostly static, and after a while it became more annoying then comforting. Raz turned it off and looked at the map lying on the passenger seat. There was a red dot that represented The Chitt Learning Center, which was actually an abandoned college out by ROOT blvd. The only reason no one had checked it was that it fell in an area that had became one giant ghost town in the last ten or fifteen years. Kellen had actually bought up the area and paid off most of the local authorities to keep things silent.

Diagonal to it, only twenty-five miles away was Psychonauts HQ, also represented with a small dot. Kellen had broadcasted not long before what he planned to do to the Psychonauts, and with the information from him, and several angry parents, it was enough to make the Psychonauts anxious. Raz, personally, was becoming very impatient with the organization with which he once belonged. He would have thought a group full of specialists like them would be able to seek out someone like Kellen by now. But it looked as though, at least for the moment, Kellen was very much ahead in the game.

Raz's eyes then fell to the third location, more away from both Psychonauts HQ and CLC. It was about thirty-seven miles away from both…but still close enough so that it could serve it's purpose to each.

_I wonder if they know how close we are? _He thought, and shivered. No, he thought not. He imagined that they didn't have a very good idea of where Kellen was. He thought they would though…in time they would…after _things_ started happening. But by then it might be too late.

Lord, how he hoped that they would find Kellen soon.

The road swam in front of Raz's eyes again, causing him to nearly cut off the path of an oncoming Avenger. The man behind the wheel honked the horn twice as Raz turned quickly to the right to keep from having a head on collision. He watched the car through his rear view mirror as it disappeared over a hill. He sighed a little shakily and slowly turned to the nearest exit, deciding to stop at the next service station for a cup of coffee to keep him alert.

A half battered sign above the exit signal read;

**Route 34; Rickety Hill.**

Underneath that, almost an inch from the ground and half covered in spray paint and the dust and earth of fifty years of neglect, another sign read;

**This Way To Shaky Claim: Warning! Civilians Enter Under No Circumstances: High Radiation. **

XXX

"Hey…do you mind if I have that bed, it's farther from the window…so that my eyes wont get irritated by the sunlight in the morning."

Stephen's eyes tightened a little as a voice cut through his sleep. As he came out of the darkness of the dream world, he was aware of daylight on his face and the sound of someone speaking.

"Only, it's because of the sunlight, see…when I see it when I'm half asleep sometimes I get nervous…and bad things happen." Stephen opened his eyes a little and waited until they adjusted to the light. He blinked and looked in the direction of who was speaking to him. Standing an inch away from his bed was a slightly bulky child of about fifteen or sixteen years old. He had an unhealthy complexion and a strange hulking cap on his head which looked to be made mostly from various kitchen supplies and several layers of aluminum foil.

"Uhh…" Stephen said, while sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of his bed. "…Sure…I guess. I um…need to get some of my stuff out though." He felt slightly uneasy as he thought of the explosives in the mattress.

"Kay." The boy said and seemed to suddenly be distracted in his own unpacking. Stephen swept off the jacket he had been wearing when he had fallen asleep the night before and carefully slid the explosives from under his mattress into it, making sure the boy wasn't watching when he did. The journal he left alone, simply pulling it out and assuming that carrying it around wouldn't look very suspicious…slightly wimpy, maybe, but not suspicious.

He moved his stuff over to the other bed, stuffing the book and jacket under that mattress and moving the rest of his things to the wall. The washed-out light from the window was faded now because of the storm, but he thought that from his bed, the sun would probably be pretty unbearable when it was out, and he imagined that he wouldn't sleep very far past sunrise from now on.

"Thanks." The other boy said, moving his own things by Stephen's previous bed and making himself comfortable. After he seemed situated and unpacked, he glanced toward Stephen and gave him what could have been a smile.

"Hi, I'm Dogan." He said kindly. Stephen smiled weakly in return, while eyeing the strange hat out of the corner of his perception. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie from the 50's. Some giant cheesy helmet that people wore so the aliens couldn't suck out their brains or something.

"I'm Stephen." He said after a moment. "Are you testing to be a Psycadet?"

"Yeah. I've been testing for a long time now. I passed last time…but then I accidentally set one of the testers on fire…so they sent me back here." Stephen shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh." He said.

"I didn't really mean to…but he was yelling at me and it just happened. They added more stuff to my hat cause of it." He said, pointing to the hulking thing on his head. Stephen nodded a little uneasily.

"What's it suppose to do." He asked, staring at the hat with apprehension.

"It's suppose to keep me from blowing people up and stuff." He looked a little timid for a moment. "Sometimes it happens…when people make me mad." Stephen swallowed, and nodded slightly. He looked out the window, where his view consisted of a section of the roof and a parking lot. Across from him, Dogan was watching his feet apparently in thought.

"You know…" Stephen said after a moment, almost feeling compelled to do so. "I accidentally set my dad on fire once." Out of the corner of his eye he saw the older boy smile a little, not unkindly and with no trace of malice or iniquitous intent.

"Yeah…I used to do that a lot."

XXX

Raz finished off his coffee just as he was pulling into a heavily forested area. All around him signs warned of High Radiation and Dangerous Chemicals. They weren't exactly lying…but they were at the same time telling a half-truth. It was dangerous for normal people…and even psychic people in some situations to go beyond the fence if they got too near the 'dangerous chemicals'… which Raz intended to do, but it certainly wasn't because of high radiation.

After he checked the path, to make sure it was empty, Raz pulled off of the main road and into the forest. There was a place where the trees were hacked and severed, as if a crude trail had been fashioned just for the large pickup truck. He drove a mile into the thick forest, his vehicle becoming less and less visible by anyone on any hiking trails or dirt roads. Then, just before reaching another warning sign, he stopped and got out of the drivers side door.

He walked around the large bulking truck and pulled a worn sack out of the back, which he flung over his shoulder. He then grabbed a handful of branches that had been conveniently sitting by the sign and draped as many of them over the automobile so that it would be even less observable. He frowned and looked up at the sky, wishing desperately that the rain would stop. It wasn't bad now because of the trees and the grayness. Still, the thought of being soaked, tired, sick and in pain did not thrill him much.

He started walking, knowing it was another half-mile to Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. This also didn't thrill him, but he supposed he should just be happy that he was making this trip while it was still spring. In the spring the camp would still be empty.

_Well, _He thought to himself. _It will be mostly empty. _He frowned and kept walking.

XXX

In the last 24 hours, Ford had been working feverishly to set up as many alarms and surveillance equipment around the entrance to the camp and by the lake as he possibly could. After a long morning he had tiredly drifted off to sleep, and was still dozing when one of his alarms went off.

Ford sat forward, jerking out of his dream as a screen popped up in front of him, showing him the entrance of the camp. For a moment he thought that somehow a squirrel or something had set the alarm off...again and he was about to turn it off when he saw a flash of black and a figure momentarily visible on the monitor. He blinked and sat closer, observing as with his mind, he switched screens to try to follow the intruder's progress. It was difficult and all he ever got was brief images.

"Hmm…"

XXX

Once he reached the camp entrance, Raz moved carefully, to avoid setting off any alarms that may have been set up since the end of the previous summer. He assumed that this was an unnecessary caution, for every trip made by the Cerebral soldiers to the camp had been outside of summer months and there didn't appear to be any detection of them as of yet, and Raz couldn't picture General Cadmus being too careful when entering the camp. In fact, he considered it an immense demonstration of the man's self control that he hadn't blown a hole on the outside of the fence yet. Still, it didn't hurt to be careful.

It was this thought that was circling Raz's mind when he crept over the wall, partially by levitation and partially by natural acrobatic talent, managing to miss many of the easy alarms, and most of the cameras, for many cameras in Psychic based facilities measured Psychic energy rather the visual sight. Otherwise it would be only too easy for an intruder to go invisible and sneak in without a problem. Unfortunately, his luck ended there when he touched the ground lightly, sending off a large number of alarms that were silent to him, but quite loud to the elderly man sleeping somewhere underneath. When they went off, the visual cameras went into action too, but were only able to capture about as much as the Psychic cameras.

As Raz walked across the grounds, which squished under his shoes because of the rain, he kept his eyes sharp for any figures walking about. Inwardly, he wished that he could stop and look around a bit more, but his head, still pounding and the weight of the sack on his back told him that that wasn't a good idea.

Nearby a hollow stump gaped at him. Slightly disappointed, Raz avoided it and kept on foot. There was a chance that Ford would know when his cars were in operation. It was best to just keep above ground, as far away from the older Psychonaut as possible.

He reached the dock and descended it carefully, heading, with trepidation toward the beach.

XXX

Ford watched the monitor as long as he could, following the intruder's progress until it was evident that he or she was headed towards the beach. Then, when he was sure of the trespasser's destination, he hurried towards the stump on the far side of the open room.

"Gotcha." He said to himself as he disappeared into the darkness.

XXX

While still on the dock, Raz unshouldered his bag and began to search through it. He had purposefully packed a few things that Kellen had not arranged in case he needed them. He kept them in a small bag ordained with various patches decorated with tiny and simple images.

With one gloved hand Raz grabbed a small woven patch from the bottom of the bag and slipped it in his pocket, before shoving the smaller bag back into his sack and pulling it back over his shoulder. He then stepped forward, sighing as his boot touched the sand.

Ahead of him, a vast body of water, Lake Oblongata, stretched to the horizon. Raz swallowed as his eyes fell over the green misty translucence and inwardly, a part of him cringed back from it as he imagined hands reaching out from the shadows and pulling him into the darkness. The water, making continuous rings because of the drizzle of rain breaking the surface, seemed to whisper a secret curse to the wind as a gust of it blew through his raincoat, sending it flapping crazily about his torso.

Raz shook his head, and turned away from the water, knowing with a sinking feeling that he would be descending into it soon. Now, however, he headed towards the tiny shack on the edge of the lake, which was slightly illuminated by a poor lantern hanging from the ceiling. Inside, an elderly man was inspecting a canoe. Raz reached into his pocket and stood at the door, waiting for the figure to notice him.

XXX

The man, who seemed absorbed in the canoe as if it were some astounding piece of artwork, turned slowly at the sound of footsteps. When he saw the tall figure of a man silhouetted against the doorway he readjusted his hat and squinted at him.

"Hey!" He said after it became apparent that he was not one of the regulars. "Who are you and what are you doing in MY boat house. This area is restricted." The indistinguishable man took a step forward and reached into his pocket. Admiral Cruller flinched back a little, but drew nearer himself when it was obvious that it was not some concealed weapon, but a tiny merit badge.

"I know sir." The voice was young. "I'm a certified oarsman, sir. See, here's my badge." Admiral Cruller took another small step forward and looked at the badge, then, he nodded.

"Well alright then, as long as you're certified. But be careful out there, there's a squall comin you know. Wouldn't want you putting holes in my canoes!"

The young man smiled.

"I'll be careful, sir." He said and walked through the tiny shack and onto the deck that headed to the Aqua Tank. Behind him, Admiral Cruller went back to his canoe for a moment, before, looking up, as though confused, and then apparently disintegrating into nothing.

XXX

Raz undid the chain connected to the tank and opened the metal door nervously. He found, that with six years of age he had grown quite a deal, and the space in the tank had become severely limited. Still, he tucked himself in as best as he could and closed the door behind him. Before he started to lower the thing into the depths he removed a full faced gas mask from his bag and a pair of thick gloves, which he pulled over his own.

He began the descent clumsily; he had not gotten the hang of using the tank during his last venture into the deep. He was able, however to keep it from simply tumbling down. This precaution was mostly due to his concerns at possibly not having the air bubble under him in case he was cast out of the Aqua Tank as he had been on the previous occasion.

After about ten minutes Raz was relieved to find that this wasn't the case, when the Tank seemed to sit down on something that was only partially solid. He sighed and let it sink through the mucus shield before lowering himself, as carefully as he could, the rest way down.

When the Aqua tank hit the lake bottom, Raz kicked open the door and stepped out. In front of him the murky water seemed to extend for miles.

Raz set his bag down again and pulled out a third item that resembled the dousing rod he had used to collect deep arrowheads when he had been at camp. With this, his gloves and the gas mask he began to slowly walk across Lake Oblongata, swinging the detector slowly from side to side and fighting off the claustrophobic feeling of being closed in underneath twelve to twenty feet of what Raz considered to be immediate death.

XXX

Once Ford set foot on the Camp Ground, his projected personalities faded back into his own mind. He knew that the part of his mind that was still him would remain in control for a little while before the other personalities began to overrun him, how long he had though, was another matter.

As he stepped out towards the dock, he noticed grimly that the Aqua Tank was gone. He also noticed that the chain connected to it was still moving. He frowned and hurried towards the machine, meaning to reel back in whom ever had invaded his camp and had started playing with his things. He reached the machine just after it stopped.

Still, he rapped the chain around a lever and began to pull, finding much to his disappointment that it was lighter then it would have been if someone were still inside. Still, he pulled until the machine became visible again. When he had it back on it's stand he tied it up PROPERLY and stood back to watch the water.

He supposed he could have gone after the intruder himself, but he'd rather face him or her…_him…almost certainly a him…_in an open area, rather then under the Lake in that crummy air pocket. This way, the figure would either have to swim back to the surface, or he would have to stay down there until the Psychonauts came after him.

Ford stood up straight and waited.

XXX

I'd like to apologize for taking so long to upload this. It would have been up much sooner, but my Internet's been down over the pastfew daysbecause my cable has been out. (My family's poor.) I should have Always the Same up soon too, considering I already have a great deal of the next chapter completed for it as well.

I LOVE YOU ALL.


	11. Something Familiar

Chapter Eleven:

Something Familiar

Unaware that the underwater tank had been pulled back up to the surface, Raz continued in silence across the dark and dreary terrain of the lake bed. The metal rod in his hand thrummed silently, occasionally picking up then falling back into silence almost immediately. Around him, dead fish were scattered about, along with wilted seaweed and lone shells. Occasionally, another fish would stupidly swim in through the mucus wall and lay, struggling for a moment before it was still.

Ahead of him, Raz saw the end of the large mucus bubble. He sighed, and was about to turn around when the rod in his hand began to shake violently. He turned it about until he found the spot where it reacted most and headed in that direction cautiously. The closer he got, the more his head throbbed.

When the rod led him to the edge of a dark cave, Raz pulled out a small flashlight and flipped the switch so it illuminated the gloom of the small grotto. From inside a soft purplish glow responded to the milky light the flashlight produced. Raz made sure the mask he was wearing was on right before stepping into it. He didn't need to go far. To his right, jutting out of the floor of rock like it had grown there was a small mound of Psitanium. Raz set the metal rod aside and turned off the flashlight before unshouldering the large sack he had carried with him.

He opened it slightly, and while touching his forehead with one gloved hand, mind blasted the small mound of Psitanium so that a generous amount came loose. It hovered upward, guided by a telekinetic hand and landed in the sack, which Raz closed over it.

A moment later he was heading back in the direction from which he came. This time he walked in a more hurried pace. Raz had been here before, under the water…and for a considerably longer time. Still, he'd much rather be back up on land, where he couldn't see the sinister hands reaching out towards him every time he accidentally got too near to the large dripping walls.

While he came up on a large buildup of stone, which resembled something like an underwater mountain, Raz punched randomly at a large crystallized wall, which shattered under his Psychic fist. He smiled and then cursed when a sucker fish clasped onto his leg and he had to shake it off.

"Ow, god…you guys are still alive?" As the accursed fish finally unclasped from his pant leg, Raz looked up, expecting to see the faint outline of the tank where he had left it in the shadow of the mountain, and instead saw a flickered reflection that he associated with waves on the underwater wall.

Raz's eyes widened and he turned about for a moment, looking around desperately for the tank, in case he had left it somewhere else and had just forgotten. He backed up a few paces. On his right he saw the other end of the mucus wall, on his left, the dark stretch of darkness he had just come back from, the tank itself was no where to be found.

Raz felt the fear building up as he looked around. He was stuck underwater, possibly at the hands of a Psychonaut, which, though Raz hated to admit it, happened to be at this moment his enemy.

"Ok, calm down." He whispered in the darkness. He took a deep breath and sat down on a slab of stone, trying to think of a way out of this. Unfortunately, the migraine that was setting itself in his skull and the Psitanium in the sack he was carrying, together were making his thoughts arrive sluggishly.

Raz suddenly cried out when another fish sank its teeth in his ankle, as though, somehow nibbling on him would slow the process of suffocation. He yanked it off and threw it towards the mucus wall, where it would probably land in the water and swim for a few minutes before it's tiny mind would fail it and send it back into the large bubble. Raz watched it for a moment before a thought occured to him.

He set his sack beside him and searched through it, careful to avoid the psitanium as he pulled out the tiny backpack, from which, fifteen minutes earlier, he had removed the small oarsman badge. He yanked it open, avoiding various things as his fingers closed over a large fish skeleton. He pulled it free from the bag and examined it thoughtfully.

"I hope _you're_ still alive." He whispered before standing and blowing into the bone, sending forth a deep musical note, which bounced off and echoed throughout the small mucus wall.

XXX

Ford heard it. It was hardly audible on land and came up as a long thrumming noise, muffled by the water. He watched curiously as the top of the lake almost seemed to vibrate.

He raised his eyebrows and bent over the water uneasily.

XXX

After thirty seconds the echoes died down, leaving Raz standing in the darkness, waiting. A minute passed by, then two, and Raz was just about to sit down and admit defeat when he saw something glowing in the water. He neared it as much as he dared. The glowing became two orbs, which were growing nearer.

Raz dove out of the way just in time, when something huge and hulking crashed through the mucus fortification. He landed a few feet away and rolled over; watching as a giant deformed fish took a few massive steps forward. It's lumpy head turned in various directions, as it confusedly searched for something. Finally, it's huge gleaming eyes fell on Raz.

Raz stood a little uneasily, as the fish eyed him without recognition.

_"A human." _It said, voice weighted down with suspicion. _"One of the ones who steal from my lake? Stranger, tell me why I should not crush your bones in my teeth." _It took a threatening step forward. Raz, who wasn't stupid, took a step back, while making a nervous sound in the back of his throat.

"Linda!" He said hurriedly while pulling the mask off of his face. "It's me, Raz!"

The fish halted, and regarded him with interest. It crept forward, this time not with malice, but rather, with curiosity. Raz stood perfectly still as the fish examined him in thoughtful silence. After a few tense moments the fish stood back again.

_"Human child, you've gotten taller."_ Raz relaxed.

"Yeah…it happens…and you've gotten…er…lumpier." Linda's huge eyes fell to the sack on Raz's shoulder and for a moment she regarded him, once more with doubt.

_"Why have people been coming down here so often to take the glowing rock from this place, Razputin? They are stirring up dangerous chemicals. It has begun to effect the fish."_ Raz's own eyes fell to the sack. He looked up at Linda, feeling guilty.

"A mad man wants it. I'm sorry, I didn't know it was causing any negative effects down here." Linda gazed at the gas mask still in his hands, and Raz, who knew what she was thinking, turned to avoid her gaze.

_"Human child, what thing keeps you from simply resisting this mad man?" _

Raz was starting to feel sick.

_I should have just let myself drown. _He thought bitterly. He shook this thought away and began to think of a way to answer her question. It came almost immediately.

"Do you remember Coach Oleander?" He said, as he looked up, his eyes serious. A bitter expression crossed the huge lungfish's face, while it's eyes filled with hatred.

_"The short human who used to stick things in a my head so that I would kidnap children for him." _

"Yeah." Raz said, sympathetically. "Well…this mad man…" Raz touched his forehead slightly. "He sticks stuff in _my_ head…and if I don't do what he wants…he could make me do something…really bad."

_"So you steal dangerous chemicals for him?" _The fish asked.

"Uh…yeah." Raz slumped his shoulders. "That…and other things. Listen, you don't have to help me. I'd understand." He said, while rubbing his temples slightly in hopes to reduce the pain of his migraine.

_"What do you need, Razputin?"_ Linda asked after a moment of silence.

"Well," Raz said a little wearily. "The aqua tank is gone so I don't have any way to get to the surface."

_" You wish for me to bring you to dry land?" _

"I was kind of hoping…but…I dunno, I guess I kind of deserve to drown."

The fish shook its massive head.

_"I understand your problem Razputin. And I still owe you for fixing me all those years ago. I will take you to the surface." _

Raz looked relieved.

"Thank you." He said gratefully.

XXX

Ford was leaning against the dock, still watching the water. He straightened when it started to bubble and ripple.

"What the…?" There was massive splash. Ford cried out and jumped away from the railing. Despite his quick reaction he was still drenched. The surface of the water broke as the massive lungfish staggered up out of the depths and walked slowly towards the beach.

Ford watched it in amazement. He could have sworn that by now the thing would have been dead. It certainly hadn't come up to the surface in ages, not since the brain stealing incident anyways.

The fish stepped onto the sand and then spat something large out, a thing that was not completely uncommon for it. It took Ford only a few seconds to realize what it had spat out was a man. After, the creature turned around and went back into the water, which would be calm in a mere matter of moments, so that one would never know it had just been so thoroughly disturbed by a giant lungfish.

Ford was still for a moment, because many people would be after witnessing a huge fish come out of the lake and spit a full grown man onto the beach, then, when the figure moved, it shook Ford out of his daze. The old Psychonaut scowled and started to hurry towards the beach.

The stranger, who was tall and thin and dressed in a raincoat that was a size or two too big for him stood up. Ford was pleased to see that he was turned away from him, and therefore not yet aware of his presence. A sack, which had fallen to the strangers side was picked up and hoisted on his shoulder as he slowly headed towards the ramp that lead out of the lake area.

"Oh no you don't." Ford whispered. He threw his hand out. The figure let out a cry of surprise as he was picked off of his feet. Ford, who was very experienced at this sort of thing, easily held the tall man telekinetically as he reached the end of the dock. So as not to lose eye contact, he levitated the rest way and landed ten feet away from the intruder.

"Ha, got you! That'll teach you to come in here and use my equipment!" He said victoriously. "So who sent you? Is this some kind of tomfoolery? Or are you working under a purpose?"

He rotated the figure around so that he was facing him. It didn't do him much good, unfortunately, because the stranger was wearing a bulky mask, the sort found on people dealing with dangerous gasses. His eyes were covered in dark goggles and the rest of his face was shrouded in the hood of his raincoat. The figure was silent.

Ford frowned and as a Psychic went for the next logical approach. He tried to read the figures mind. Now, by experience, Ford was an excellent telepath. He had mastered reading minds almost fifty years before. Unfortunately, this detail did him little good in the presence of _this_ mind, which was not completely impenetrable but came pretty close. What he could reach sent a stab of pain in the middle of his skull.

Ford, surprised by the sudden discomfort inside his brain let the mental link break between him and the…

_Child! God he's so young! _Ford grabbed the side of his head as the boy dropped to the ground. Without hesitation the boy scrambled to his feet and hurried away from Ford. The older Psychonaut whose vision seemed to be doing odd things shook his head to clear it and then reacted as quickly as he could.

XXX

Once agent Cruller let him go Raz rushed to his feet and hurried towards the entrance of the beach. Since he had been in good shape for most of his life, it gave him a slight advantage to the older man, who had spent much of his recent years closed up in an underground sanctuary, doing little but watching the rest of the world get on with their lives. He passed up the gaping tree trunk a second time, deciding that showing any awareness of his surroundings was a bad idea.

Behind him, Agent Cruller's footsteps died out, as he apparently did not share Raz's opinion.

Raz rushed through the camp, aware that no matter how fast he ran, Cruller would reach his destination first. Thinking quickly, Raz grabbed a hold of a pole and began to climb. He reached the platform ordained with a loudspeaker and looked hesitantly across the campgrounds. From where he was standing he assumed he could probably get to the gate without ever touching the ground.

He jumped, and with a mixture of acrobatics and psychic moves reached the wooden wall in front of the parking lot. When he did he crouched down on the thin wall and went invisible, watching the old Psychonaut as he moved cautiously in the empty parking lot.

XXX

Ford felt the rain pick up a little and cursed it under his breath. He knew that the boy wouldn't have made it before him, because he took a short cut. What he wasn't sure of was whether or not the kid had even come this way or not. He kept a close watch on the entrance to the parking lot. The thought of invisibility entered his mind and it worried him. Normally it wouldn't have, because in normal cases he could rely on reading thoughts, but for some reason this mind was silent. He didn't like it.

Ford's eyes wiped across the scenery, hitting every spot. He imagined the boy had hidden, rather then coming straight to the exit, and was just about to head back into the camp to look, when he froze.

_Hmm…? _He reached out mentally, and when he did he could feel him. The boy's mind was a giant shield, completely armored. It was amazing.

_Almost like... _Ford shook his head.

Still, even if he couldn't read his mind, he could tell the boy was nearby…perhaps watching him, waiting for him to leave.

At first Ford searched the ground, which, he found was bare. He didn't want to make a show of looking, in case the boy watching him at that very moment. He wanted the intruder to think that he still had the upper hand. He started to head towards the doorway back into the main campgrounds; his ears and eyes open for a sound or anything a bit off.

He was almost directly under the sign, when he saw it. A small place, ABOVE him, that seemed to be attracting no rain. Ford pretended not to notice. He tucked his hands behind his back and continued forward, then, as he went under the sign, and was about five feet back into the campgrounds, he turned around sharply and sent a mind blast at what would have appeared as a blank patch of air to anyone else.

XXX

Raz cried out as he was thrown off of the sign. He landed ten feet away from Agent Cruller. As he hit the concrete he heard two cracks. One belonged to the psitanium, which split open when the bag flew from his hands and hit a ramp at the head of a parking spot; the other was the result of three of his ribs cracking. For the latter, he viciously bit back a scream.

Raz was stuck in his own world of pain when he felt the older man grabbing him by the arm. His immediate reaction was to struggle against the him. Ford was saying something to him that his ears, which were still ringing from the fall would not register. Finally, he drew back one arm and punched, pushing out as much psychic energy as he could.

XXX

Ford was thrown off of his feet. He landed five feet away from where he had been, unharmed, but for a moment, slightly disoriented. When he sat up the young man was struggling to get to his feet. He was obviously badly injured, and in a lot of pain, and so given the circumstances, Ford was almost stunned at his determination. He got up onto his feet, and decided to try a different approach with this boy.

He neared him cautiously. The boy grabbed the bag and recoiled, holding his hand in front him, either as a warning to stay back, or for his own defense.

"Easy now, son." Ford said, holding his own hands out carefully. "I can tell by the way your walking that you're badly hurt. Now you can either keep running…although I guarantee you won't get far in that shape, or you can let me help you." Ford eyed the boy carefully, wondering how old he was…and wondering about his mind. Not only about the strength of his defense…but of the pain.

_Either he's insane…and god help him if his mind always aches like that…or someone's interfering. _He considered the latter.

"Do you work for Kellen? You might as well answer…we know all about you guys." Of course this was a lie, and apparently the kid sensed it because he shook his head.

"Not enough, Agent Cruller." The boy said before grabbing a hold of a light pole and swinging upward. In a single graceful movement he landed on the other side of the large barrier. Ford hurried towards the gate, but knew it wouldn't do him much good. They closed automatically when his alarms went off, and it would take him too long to open them. The boy was already hurrying off into the forest…and if Ford ventured too far…he wouldn't be in any shape to reprimand him.

So instead he stood back and watched the boy vanish. His mind preoccupied.

_Something familiar… _He thought, and in his mind he saw the movement the boy made over the barrier again. It was rare for teenage boys to move like that. And the voice…Ford shook his head.

"Must be getting old."

XXX

LOL, I wondered if I'd ever accidentally do that...submit the wrong chapter to a story...but Oh god! I guess I'd better check from now on. So...ne ways, in case anyone was confused, for at least one day, this chapter was Chapter Eleven of Always The Same...rather then chapter Eleven of Cerebral soldiers. I appologize. Holy crap...I'm hopeless.


	12. The Basics

Chapter Twelve:

The Basics

Raz groaned softly as he woke up. For a moment he was confused. He realized that he was in a small closed in area. His legs were bunched up and it was dark. Next, he noticed a jab of pain that seemed to be everywhere at once. His chest hurt a lot. His face, which was covered with something, was sore, mostly inside his skull where his temples throbbed.

He reached up and pulled off the gas mask. It did nothing for his vision. Next he sat up, cringing slightly at the many aches and pains that joined the action. After a few moments while he sat and looked hazily at the steering wheel of the truck he began to recall what had happened.

After he had managed to get away from Agent Cruller he had stumbled through the forest, though he barely recalled much of that now. His ribs had felt worse then. They were now down to a low throb. His leg, which he had also apparently hit when he fell to the ground, but was sure he hadn't broken, was still causing him discomfort. He felt it was probably a matter of muscle rather then bone, but it was still very unpleasant.

Raz touched the keys hanging by the wheel and gave them a turn. The engine revved up, and when Raz turned another switch by the side of the wheel the lights flashed on, giving him some light. He buckled his seatbelt and started to move the car so he could drive out of the forest. When he got it turned around he stopped and sighed to himself, touching the sack beside him for reassurance before he headed back to The Chitt Learning Center.

XXX

Stephen walked down an official looking hallway in Psychonauts HQ. He was turning his head this way and that in an attempt to see everything at once. Dogan was a few steps ahead of him…not because he walked faster, but because Stephen was caught up in everything else and he didn't know where he was going. Ahead of him a heavy door opened and a boy walked out. When Stephen saw him he cringed inwardly.

The boy was tall and skinny with big teeth and red frizzy hair. If it wouldn't have been for the way he moved and the air in which he carried himself, Stephen would have assumed him to be the sort of awkward boy who got picked on a lot. But it was obvious that he had taken the other route of boys born with natural unsightliness.

When he reached Dogan he stopped and put his hands on his hips.

"Hey Dogan, I heard you were taking Bafsic training again. Did you set another kid on fire?" Stephen felt something inside him drop sickly. He knew a bully when he saw one and when one came across an ugly bully, with a slight speech impediment, for this young man pronounced some of his S's with F's and some of his F's with extra F's, they were generally the worst kind because they had more to compensate for.

Dogan looked at the boy anxiously before answering in a small voice.

"No…it was an instructor this time." He said. Stephen frowned.

"Oh wow…I'm shurprised they haven't locked you up yet, genius." He said in another mocking voice, this time to show his exasperation at Dogan's simplistic manner. Dogan lowered his head.

"Yeah…a lot of people say that." He said softly. The bully stepped forward angrily. Stephen's immediate reaction was to back away, but inwardly he thought he should probably do something. He was about to offer a resounding 'er…hey don't do that.' Which probably would have landed him in the infirmary on his first real day at Psychonauts HQ. When someone else came to Dogan's rescue instead.

"Leave him alone Bobby." Stephen turned around and for an instant, met the honey colored eyes of the girl who had come to _his_ rescue the day before. She didn't look particularly enthusiastic or defiant about this confrontation, but rather wore the same bored expression she had worn before. It didn't say, "This isn't right! Step off you jerk!" But instead articulated something like "I don't have the motivation to deal with you, so leave me alone…oh, and your blocking my way."

Bobby tried to stare her down for a moment, but anyone who saw her could have told him it was a lost effort. He gave up after a minute and shoved past Dogan rudely, though Stephen noticed he avoided the girl.

"He'fs wasting my time anyway." Bobby muttered as he headed down the hall.

Dogan turned and smiled weakly at her.

"Thanks Lili." He said in his own slightly grateful but mostly impassive voice.

She nodded and started down the hallway. Dogan followed her and Stephen followed him, but he didn't really count it as walking with her until she started to speak to the other boy.

"I heard about Agent Rowland. In the meeting room he told the others he wanted you kicked out of the program." Her voice was still even and there was not a trace of emotion on her face, as though she were simply making light conversation. Dogan watched his feet for a moment.

"I didn't mean to set his hair on fire." He said quietly. "He was yelling at me and I got…excited."

"Sasha convinced my dad to give you another chance…" She stopped. "But I don't think he can do it again, Dogan." She watched Dogan for a moment and Stephen found himself watching her.

_She's really sad…all the time. That's why she's like that. _He didn't know where it came from (And actually, it was what, in the Psychic world, professional's called an untrained prognostic …or a brief period of psychic energy focused on the reading of other people generally found in amateur psychics with unspoken capabilities.) but he knew it was true. After he recognized this, he found himself wondering _why_ she was so sad all the time.

"Kay." Dogan answered. Lili gave him a 'Your hopeless,' sort of look and then turned and walked away.

Both him and Dogan continued down the hall in silence. Stephen was about to try and find a way to break it when Dogan stopped and started into a door on their right. Stephen followed him, starring at the silver number beside the door and the sign hanging on the outside on the finely carved wood.

**Training Room 3B **

Inside were a half a dozen other students and four instructors. Stephen followed Dogan to the corner of the room, mostly avoiding the gaze of some of the other kids, who seemed far too nervous to notice either of them anyways. There were four other boys in the room and two girls. All of them looked both pale and ill.

The instructors, two women and two men stood up straight, with serious expressions on their faces. The first, and most clearly the oldest, scanned the room briefly before stepping forward.

"All eight of you are now here?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Good." He pulled out a list and glanced at it, his expression stony.

"Today is a basic skill day. I am Agent Viktor Aatto; beside me are Agent Corinne, Agent Rhea and Agent Berker. We will call to you by name. When you hear us call you, you will stand before us and we will give you further instruction. Understand?" There were a few murmurs and uncertain nods.

Agent Aatto nodded and looked once more down to his list.

"Pastor, Kaine, Awlins, and Minshki. In that order from your left to your right. Step forward."

The kids did as they were told. Stephen watched uneasily. Beside him, Dogan did not seem in the least bit interested.

The kids were first told to float a plant in the air for sixty seconds, then to set it on fire, then to throw the remains away using telekinesis. For the most part it went alright, except in the case of the boy who's last name was Kaine, who dropped it in the first ten seconds and then became too upset to aim and therefore was asked to step aside while the agent cleaned up the remains of the plant.

After the rest of the kids managed to get their plants in the garbage can. One boy only after six tries…when he finally got fed up and picked the blasted thing up with his actual hands, Agent Aatto stepped forward again.

"The rest of you, in this order; Gyn, Boole, Eddy and Brickall."

Stephen lined himself up with Agent Berker, who was a short man apparently in his early twenties.

"Alright Mr. Brickall." Agent Berker said. " Blast the first thing, set the second thing on fire, smash the third thing against the wall." Stephen stared at the three items for a moment, his panicked mind trying to catch up to what the Psychonaut had said. Finally, he placed a gloved hand on his forehead and tried his best to do what the man had told him to.

The result wasn't bad. He had managed the mind blast without difficulty, but unfortunately had set both the second item (Shoe.) and the third item (ugly plant.) on fire at the same time, and then had panicked and thrown the shoe in more or less in the wrong direction. What was fortunate was that the tall blonde girl beside him, apparently, had excellent reflexes. He felt slightly embarrassed, until the boy called Gyn accidentally mind blasted one of Dogan's items and then although correctly demonstrating pyrokinesis, managed to set the wrong shoe on fire. (His own actually.) This made him feel slightly better.

For the next hour or so, the two groups rotated, performing basic psychic actions, and occasionally failing at them. By the time they left, however, most of them had gotten the hang of it. (Except for Gyn, who accidentally got in the way of a reflected mind blast and had to go to the infirmary after the first fifteen minutes of the lesson.)

Stephen walked back out of the classroom, feeling slightly more confident about this type of training. He imagined it would get harder, but for now, he thought he could stay in long enough to fulfill his purpose for the Cerebral Soldiers.

"Hey!" Came a loud voice from out of nowhere, with it, came a hand, which fell heavily on Stephen's shoulder. Stephen jumped and turned, feeling slightly edgy.

"How was the first lesson?" For a moment Stephen felt confused, and then, he vaguely recognized the boy who had returned his letter the day before.

"Uh…ok." Stephen answered. The boy nodded.

"Good, you headed down to the cafeteria? Almost lunch time." Stephen shrugged. He wasn't really all that hungry, given his unusual schedule "Aw, I bet you don't even know where it is, come on and I'll show you." And so, Stephen found himself being led down the hall towards the cafeteria in a state of slight perplexity.

XXX

It had been dawn before Raz made it back to CLC. When he got in, he dropped the sack in a compartment kept for Kellen's personal mail and packages and then headed straight for his room. He couldn't go to the infirmary because no one would have been in at the time, given that Edna generally slept in.

After unlocking his door he stumbled into the darkness, peeling off the battered clothes, which had not been in great shape to begin with, but were now nearly bad enough to call rags. After he was bare except for his underwear he sat beside his bed and turned on a light, examining the bruises on his chest, stomach and leg. Other then his chest, which was beginning to turn an ugly purplish color, he looked fairly unharmed, at least on a serious level. He sighed and collapsed into his bed, shutting his eyes tightly and willing himself to fall asleep.

_I wont tell Kellen. I'll tell him I fell on my own…then when he sends someone else, they'll get caught and we'll be found out. _He shifted to a comfortable position, where the injured side of his ribcage was not touching the bed and pulled the covers over himself. Then, for several hours Raz knew only darkness and diminutive dreams.

XX _Dream Sequence_ XX

_He was walking in Psychonaut's HQ. Simple russet colored shoes echoed down the corridors as he headed past doorways, some of which he knew, and some he didn't. People passed him with little interest. He recognized some of them…though would forget whom they were when he awoke. _

_Finally, he came to his destination, a large door with a small flower, a lily, he thought, painted on it. For a moment, he stood before it, staring and wondering why he was there and why it was shut. He reached out and knocked on the door. _

'_How odd,' He thought. 'I haven't come across a closed door in years.' He knocked again, and then, when no one answered was met with a strong sense of despair. He reached out and touched the door lightly, almost caressing it. As he did the flower changed and for a moment he thought it odd, that the flower should be replaced by the flower's name. _

"_Lily…Lili…" He knocked again, this time with more force. "Lili! Lili! Come on open the door!" He yelled at the still entrance, becoming more and more distressed as he did._

'_She's _completely_ closed herself off.' He thought bitterly. Then, just as he was going to break through, the ground began to crumble underneath him. For a moment he tried to hold onto the knob, then, his hand slipped and he fell. Beneath him he could see it…_

_The water, stretching on for miles. He tried to levitate but couldn't. Within seconds he felt the coldness rush to his ears, the invisible fingers folding over him. And the pain…in his head, pounding. There were people beside him that he could barely see. Shadows. And voices. The voices he recognized, at least at first. _

_One was saying,_

"_Listen, you are mine now. If you wish to remain in control of your body, you will forget who you were and accept who you are."_

_Another said,_

"_Razputin, focus! The way to walk the tightrope while maintaining perfect balance is with practice, stance, and _finding a way out of this madman's clutches!

There were others that were jumbled together and lost in a mass of tangled waves.

"_Now relax son, your just a bit injured, just let me…"_

_"You must try and organize your mind, Razputin. Clean out the junk that DOES NOT BELONG." _

_And then just as he was slipping into the darkness of the waves;_

_"I'm sorry, human child, I cannot help you until you find that intrusion in your mind and SMASH it!" _

_Then a sound, of pounding, perhaps in his head…or maybe in some part of his mind he was still knocking on the door to Lili's subconscious…wherever it was coming from it was extremely…_

XXX

Annoying. Raz jumped and then groaned when he was met with a sharp pain that came from his side. After a moment, when he started to come back into the waking world, he was shaken once more with the sound of knocking on his door.

Raz hoisted himself off of his bed and crossed the room, grabbing an old robe from his closet and wrapping it around himself before answering the wooden door and preventing his visitor from knocking again.

Jeremiah smiled, and then slowly frowned.

"Wow…you look awful."

"Thanks." Raz answered bitterly, his voice still weighted down with sleep. "You wanted something?"

Jeremiah seemed to snap back into duty at this.

"Oh yeah, Kellen wants to see you as soon as possible."

Raz sighed.

"Of course he does." He started back in, when Jeremiah stopped him.

"Hey wait, Tank. He also told me to give you this right off. Said you deserved it." Raz turned, half expecting, with some sort of cynical humor, that the boy would be holding something devastating, like a portion of psitanium…or a gun, both of which Raz would have preferred to having to WALK and be awake right now. What he was holding out was a Cerebral Soldiers badge.

"I'm already a Cerebral Soldier, Pirate." Raz said wearily.

"Yeah, I know. Now you're a higher ranking Cerebral Soldier." Raz leaned forward to examine the badge, and saw a small silver two in the high left hand corner. He frowned.

"What about Cadmus? I though he was Agent 02."

"He was demoted to your number because he's had Agent 152 for MONTHS and hasn't managed to do anything with him…and you had him for two days and got him over the whole obstacle course." Raz, feeling rather depressed, took the badge.

"He also told me to tell you to have your badge so that it could be presented to Cadmus as soon as possible." Raz nodded tiredly.

"Okay, thanks Pirate." He said as he walked back into his room to change. About halfway through he caught sight of the poster over his bed and was met with a despair equal to that he felt in his dream.

Dad, Lili, Sasha, Milla, Agent Cruller, The Psychonauts, EVERYTHING. He sat down, feeling miserable.

"I hope this ends soon." He whispered to himself.

XXX

Wow, already caught up to Always The Same. Oh well, at least that story is at least almost close to the end. (Although I'm entirely sure, at this time, how close.) I love you all! Thank you for the reviews.


	13. Arising Suspicion

Chapter Thirteen:

Arising Suspicion

Raz hadn't bothered with his uniform…or rather, he had started to put it on and then had given up when he realized it would be a couple days before he could slip back into the spandex like material again. Instead, he threw on a pair of loose fitting pants and a very loose fitting shirt and walked down the hallways ignoring the various looks he got because of the casual clothing coupled with the knit cap and sunglasses.

When he got to Kellen's door, he didn't bother to knock. Instead he walked in and met Drake Cadmus's gaze almost immediately. The man looked very bitter. Kellen, who was sitting at his desk smiled and motioned for Raz to approach.

"I assume you brought your badge, Agent 02." He said. Raz saw Cadmus cringe out of the corner of his eye. He pulled his badge out of his pocket and threw it on the desk. Kellen, still smiling, looked down at it…his smile faded.

"I meant your old badge, Agent 02."

"It's agent 04, sir." Raz responded, his face without emotion. Kellen put two long wrinkled fingers on the badge and slid it across the desk.

"But you've been promoted, Agent 02."

"And I'm saying no thanks, Kellen." Kellen glared bitterly at Raz, partially for not accepting his offer and partially for calling him by his first name. Behind Raz, Drake was looking uneasy.

"But I insist, Agent 02. You deserve it."

_Ha! If only you knew. _Raz thought. Out loud he said.

"No sir." Kellen frowned.

"You don't think you deserve it?" Raz shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because I didn't want to get your damn psitanium." He said in return. Kellen's eyes narrowed and he sighed.

"Very well." He picked up the badge and held it out to Drake, who reached for it with a shaky hand. Kellen pulled it away at the last minute and gave the older man a cruel look.

"Who is agent 05, General Cadmus?"

"Uh…I beleef it es Vesta Mux, sir."

"Yes, alright, give your old badge to Andrea, and Andrea's badge to Vesta. You will take miss Mux's badge, General. You may go"

"But I…"

"I _said_…you may go, General." Cadmus, looking bewildered and downtrodden, took the badge that had been his and walked slowly out the door. Raz was left alone in the room with Kellen, who was surveying him over his long fingers.

"You've got a lot of nerve, boy." Raz said nothing. Kellen removed the bag that Raz had brought back with him and laid it on the desk.

"Broken, I see." Kellen said, his face expressionless. "Not the only thing either, or so it seems." He gave Raz an intent look. He then pushed a chair out mentally and motioned for Raz to sit down. Raz did so, cringing slightly.

For a few moments Kellen flipped through a few pages of random documents before looking up again.

"So tell me, how does someone get critically injured in an empty summer camp, hmm?" Raz sat back.

"Fell…" He said and crossed his arms. Kellen looked slightly angry.

"Oh? On what? Don't tell my you tripped on a shoelace…your bleeding through your shirt. Was there someone there? Guarding the camp perhaps?"

"No one…aside from the usual." Raz said, very carefully. Kellen's eyes narrowed.

"The usual?" He said, suspicious.

"You know…the janitor…forest ranger…not a big deal." Kellen nodded, and Raz knew he wasn't much interested in them. Cadmus, during the few times he had gone and Andrea…who had gone at least once had both said they saw an old man wondering around. They said he seemed confused and harmless. Cadmus had even said, with some amusement that the man had once waved to him, not even bothering to ask why he was there.

"No one else?"

"Nope." He said. Kellen surveyed the young man's face for some time before sighing and making an impatient gesture towards the door.

"Very well. Go then, and see Edna to treat whatever it is you got from…your fall." Raz, grateful to be going, stood up and headed towards the door.

"Oh, and Razputin?" Raz stopped and turned.

"If you are lying…I will find out…have a nice day." He said, looking back down at his work. Raz said something insulting under his breath and stepped out into the hallway.

XXX

Stephen had moved through the rest of the day feeling as though he were in someone else's body. He had gone to lunch with the boy, who he found was called Parker, and had spent much of the time in silence, as Parker who was slightly older then him, introduced him to a number of other students. Dogen hadn't joined him, but rather had grabbed a lunch and walked off somewhere by himself.

After a while, when the other kids seemed distracted with some girl with blonde hair and an almost nonexistent skirt, Stephen slipped away to look for the other boy.

He found him outside a few minutes later, sitting on a step and staring at something that apparently only he could see. Stephen, wondering lightly if there was something wrong with the older boy or if he was just equipped with that not so uncommon eccentricity that came with being psychic, sat quietly beside him and began to munch on his chips.

"The squirrels say you have a secret." Dogen said in a completely normal voice. Stephen swallowed the bite he had been chewing on and gave the older boy a strange look.

_Oookay…_He thought to himself.

"Uh…do they?" Was all he could think to say.

"Yeah. I used to think they were liars…but now I think they pretty much know what they're talking about." He said, apparently unaware of the slightly alarmed look the younger boy was giving him.

"Oh…ok." Stephen said…and began to eat his chips again. He looked away from Dogen and focused on something else. He wondered if the boy was insane. After a few minutes he shivered when he realized that Dogen was watching him…and wished that he had stayed with other boys…who had appeared, for the most part, to be normal.

"They think you're an imposter." Dogen said. For a moment Stephen met the older boy's eyes and he felt that familiar prying sensation. He closed his mind off as best as he could and stood up.

"I'm done…" He said a little nervously. "I'm gonna go back to the room. Er…see ya Dogen." He turned and headed back inside. He hurried through the lunch room, making up a quick excuse when Parker called him back over, and only slowed down when he got into the empty hallway that lead to the dorms. He sighed then, and walked the rest way, as nervous thoughts sped through his mind.

Dogen, who hadn't seemed all that alarmed about the boys quick departure, eyed a nearby squirrel a little curiously…and after a minute, spoke to it quietly.

"Maybe so…but I still think he's nice." He said and then chose to ignore the squirrels as he continued to eat his lunch.

XXX

The next couple of days passed quickly for Stephen. For the most part he avoided Dogen, who didn't seem to notice too much. He kept on with his lessons, which were getting more difficult, and kept his mind as blank as he could around the adults and more advanced students.

Parker, who seemed almost overly enthusiastic to help Stephen fit in had introduced him to more people then he could recall and had even tried to set him up on at least one date, which Stephen had frantically declined, as he was desperate to maintain some sort of professionalism when it came to his mission, plus he was dreadfully uncomfortable around the opposite sex.

Still, despite the exasperation in which he took in these new experiences, Stephen couldn't help but enjoy it. In fact, the only time when he was actually seriously depressed was when he was reminded that, though he fit in better here then he had anywhere else…he wasn't actually a psychadet in training. It was these thoughts that brought him back to some sort of reality. It was this feeling that reminded him that he had a job to do…and that fooling around wasn't going to help him at all. Mostly when this feeling came up, he pushed it back down, telling himself that he would deal with it when he had to.

Unfortunately…a week later…he had to. There were only a few days left before he would have to meet Tank outside of Headquarters and he hadn't learned much of anything valuable since he had come to Psychonaut's HQ. Not too mention, he had no idea how he was going to get out in the early hours of the morning without being caught.

He was considering this, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling when Dogen, for the first time in the last week or so, spoke to him from where Stephen had assumed him to be sleeping.

"Hey…why do you keep explosives under your bed?" Stephen jumped, and then was silent for a few minutes.

"Uhh…" He said after a while.

"I was just asking because I didn't think too many people kept bombs in their mattress…" Dogen wasn't looking at him…and seemed hardly interested. Stephen, who had completely forgot that they were down there, cleared his throat.

"Emergencies?" He said cautiously. Dogen didn't seem to question this, but kept staring at something in the corner of the room. "How…um…did you know they were there?" Stephen questioned carefully.

"Dunno…think I dreamt about them or something." He turned towards Stephen, slight curiosity in his normally blank eyes. "Where were you before you came here?" He asked.

Stephen's eyes fell, before he met the older boys again.

"Home." He lied. The boy watched him for a moment before sitting up.

"Oh…wanna get breakfast?" Dogen said, apparently forgetting what they had been talking about a moment before. Stephen shrugged…a little bewildered.

"Uh…sure." He said and followed the older boy out the door. He stopped only to grab a pair of jeans, which he pulled over his boxers and to cast a quick glance at the alarm clock, which was flashing 6:00 am.

XXX

The hallways were empty and covered in shadows as the two boys headed down to the cafeteria. Stephen noticed how silent it was. He wondered if anyone was up at this time.

He got his answer when Dogen pushed open the doors into the dining hall. It was for the most part quiet aside from a few silent conversations, mostly held between groups of senior agents. Stephen looked around, in slight discomfort. There were a few younger people, but even they were wearing the uniform of a full fledged Psychonaut.

He was caught up in his own thoughts when he realized Dogen was moving towards a table where a woman had noticed him and was motioning for him to come over and sit. After an uncomfortable moment, where he was standing by himself and getting a few unkind looks from older agents, he followed the older boy.

There were three people sitting at the table. One of them was the girl Lili, who was surveying Stephen with a kind of listless look as he sat down. The other two were an attractive older woman with long dark hair and a man who seemed as though he had just stepped out of a toneless oil painting.

"Hello, darling, how have you been?" The woman said warmly as Dogen sat. "It's been so long."

"Okay." Dogen answered, but Stephen wasn't paying much attention. He noticed that the man, who was wearing dark sunglasses, which was a bit odd in the dimly lit room, was surveying him with some interest. He tried to avoid his gaze and pretended to be interested in something on the far wall.

"I hear you are having some trouble with your lessons? Is that true?" Dogen nodded wearily.

"Yeah…I keep setting people on fire." He said…his voice in the same even tone.

"Well, perhaps me, Sasha or Lili could work with you for a little bit. It would be a shame if you couldn't get into the Psychonauts after so many years of trying." The woman said.

"Excuse me."

Stephen, who had been trying to concentrate on counting the number of black spots on the wall, heard the man across from him speak. He turned towards him nervously.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you here before." He caught a certain suspicious tone in the man's voice and felt his heart beat speed a little. "What is your name?" Stephen, who was thinking desperately about something spoke thickly to the man.

"Er…Stephen." He said, and tried to quiet his thoughts as much as possible.

_If you see a man with dark glasses and dark hair who speaks in a german accent don't use the song technique on him…he can pick pictures and other stuff easily out of your mind without trying too hard_.

_Crap…what was it he told me to do again?" _

The man seemed to be examining him with some curiosity before Stephen remembered. Then, as if slapped, the agent sat back quickly as Stephen thought up the biggest most colorful carnival glass lamp he could. Vaguely, Stephen felt the older man's mind leave his. He was disturbed to find he hadn't even felt him enter in the first place.

"Um…I'm gonna go get something to eat." Stephen said carefully before leaving the table.

XXX

Sasha watched him as he left, then turned to Dogen, who was still in a conversation with Milla.

"Dogen, who is that boy?" Dogen's eyes shifted over to Sasha.

"Stephen…he came a week ago. I like him…he's nice."

"Hmm…" Sasha sat back and then looked at his partner.

"Milla, have you ever told anyone about my hatred for ugly lamps?"

"No…I don't make conversation about your decorative phobias, darling." Sasha gave her a slightly frustrated look when she said the word phobia, but then let it go.

"Well then, Dogen…perhaps you should keep a closer watch on your new friend."

Lili, who had seemed utterly bored a moment before, gave Sasha a curious look.

"Is there a reason?" Milla asked, looking slightly perplexed.

"He seemed…guilty." Sasha said…and left it at that.

XXX

Sorry for the delay. I started track this week, so the updates will probably come a little slower…at least until I get used to it and am not sick or in pain after practice. Plus, in a few weeks my Saturdays will be gone as well because of Meets and stuff. I'll try to update again as soon as I can. Thanx for the reviews!


	14. Caught

Chapter Fourteen:

Caught

At around six o' clock P.M Kellen strolled out of his office. He had a pleasant and faraway look on his face that put one in the mind of straight jackets and small padded rooms. Students ignored him, or rather they avoided him. He didn't mind. He folded his hands behind his back and walked purposefully toward a room at the end of the hall.

Inside, on one of many tables, Jeremiah was fiddling with an object by means of a small unidentifiable tool. Kellen strolled up to him; taking pleasure in the look of surprise the boy gave him when he finally noticed he was standing there.

"Sir?" He said, while pulling back a heavy facemask and setting both the tool and the thing he had been working on atop the desk.

"What have you got for me Agent 016?" Kellen questioned pleasantly.

"Um…well." Jeremiah began to search through various boxes and cases he had set aside. "I didn't realize you'd be calling on me so soon…so I…have nothing prepared but…so far I have been tinkering with a few things." He pulled out what appeared to be a gas mask, an earpiece and a small gun, which was so fargone looking that it could have been made out of Styrofoam for a bad Science fiction flick from the sixties.

Kellen examined the items soberly.

"I see…and what do they do?"

"Uh…well that's suppose to work against most forms of hazardous gas and chemicals…as well as uh…confusion grenades set off by a psychic agent…both the lethal and undisruptive ones, sir." He said, while pointing at the gas mask. "This is a basic mode of communication and, it can be used to measure psychic energy…and that is, er, suppose to be able to leave a psychic more or less…um powerless for ten to fifteen minutes, as well as causing significant damage to the cerebral area…but none of the items have been properly tested yet, sir." Jeremiah said, taking a deep breath after he did.

"I see." Kellen said, grinning. "Well, let's test it now then, shall we." He picked up the gun. Jeremiah flinched back from him, but relaxed a little when the older man tucked it away and picked up the gas mask and earpiece as well.

"I'm taking a ride down to Whispering Rock, Agent 016. If all goes well I want you to make at least ten of each items…and perhaps…if I am really pleased a promotion is in order." He pulled the gas mask over his face, and then let it rest around his neck and stuck the earpiece in his left ear, for there was already something jutting from his right.

"Okay…what happens if things don't go well?" He asked, and then frowning, shook his head. "Never mind, good luck, sir."

Kellen grinned unpleasantly and then left Jeremiah to himself. The boy sighed, shook his head again and started to mess with the object he had been working on once more.

XXX

In Psychonauts HQ, there were several classrooms for ordinary types of learning. These were important, because many of the students didn't attend school for several years when they were training to be a Psychonaut.

Stephen was currently sitting in one of the small rooms. He had drifted off into a daydream fifteen minutes after the lesson had begun. All he knew was that the instructor was talking about brain activity. Everything else was a blank. At present, Stephen was more concerned over how he was going to sneak out of the building then furthering his education. It was the sixteenth and therefore he had about ten more hours to think about it. It made him nervous.

Over the past few days he had been keeping an eye out, particularly in the later and earlier hours for doors that weren't guarded exceptionally well and hallways that led to the outdoors. He had a few ideas…but he still needed a better plan then just sneaking out at three o' clock in morning. Since class had started his mind had pointed out the possibility of using the explosions. He had a few in his mattress…and that was certainly one thing that could easily be the source of a diversion while he escaped…or…it could alert someone of his presence.

He was weighing the pros and cons of this idea when he became aware that the entire class was staring at him. He blinked and looked up at the instructor…who was also watching him carefully.

"Wha?" Was his natural reaction.

"I just asked you a question, Mr. Brickall." The man responded sternly.

"Oh…what was it?" Stephen asked, his face growing slightly warm. A couple of the students giggled.

"What part of the brain would have to be altered in order to control the body?" Stephen bit his lip and looked around, hoping to find something that would hint at the answer.

"I dunno." Stephen answered finally. The teacher turned back towards the board.

"Well then perhaps you should be paying attention." The man said. Stephen sighed and rested his chin in his hand as the teacher went on to explain the answer.

"Mind control is a very tricky technique. The Psychonauts forbid it's open use on the grounds that it is a violation of a person's privacy. In order to completely control someone the mind in question would have to be very weak, vulnerable, or off guard. Most advanced agents are fairly impenetrable to such methods. It is also proved that the older a person is, the more in control they are over their thoughts and psychic energy. This is why we are very strict about age in the Psychonauts." He started to talk about something else, but in the corner a young man had raised his hand.

"Yes." The teacher said, giving the child his full attention.

"Um…you say the Psychonauts are strict about age, but aren't they letting in kids that are fifteen and sixteen years old right now."

"Yes…but the children are, for the most part given very risk-free posts, and are tested thoroughly before their initiation is approved. They must be skilled. Otherwise, even the lowest positions are generally given to adults in their twenties and older. Also…you must remember…this is…a very unusual time. We need as many agents as we can get."

"Okay…but…I read somewhere that six years ago…the Psychonauts let in a ten year old…without any official training."

The teacher seemed stumped for a moment. At his desk, Stephen raised his eyebrows. Ten was very young.

"Yes…well…that also was an extraordinary situation. It…probably wont happen again." The teacher turned back to the blackboard and dropped the subject, as he continued to talk about mind control.

After class, Stephen and Dogen were walking back to their room. Dogen seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Stephen, who was beginning to grow uncomfortable, decided to try and strike up a conversation.

"I didn't know the Psychonauts ever let a ten year old kid join. That's…really young."

Dogen nodded.

"They did it after Raz saved the kids at the summer camp." Dogen said, still halfway in his daydream. Stephen raised his brow.

"Ever meet him?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah? When?"

"I was at the summer camp."

"Oh." Stephen said, and went back to his own thoughts, involving bombs and the subject of what information he had gathered over the past few weeks. Dogen spoke and interrupted his thoughts.

"I liked Raz…he was nice. He once helped me through a lot of mines when I kept exploding." Stephen looked up at the boy. For a moment, he thought about the sentence, completely disregarding the part about exploding…which was an aspect he didn't wish to enquirer further on…

"Was?" He asked after a while.

"Yeah…he disappeared a while back."

Stephen found himself thinking about this for the next fifteen minutes before he was aware of what he was doing. When he caught himself, he went back to thinking about his own problems.

When they reached their room, both boys seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Stephen's mind kept jumping between his meeting at 3:00 am with Tank, before it would inadvertently slip back into issues regarding the Psychonauts. He had vaguely heard conversations about the Cerebral Soldiers while he had been here…which led him to believe that no one was really sure what was going on. He knew this should have made him feel relieved and given him a sense of pride…instead…it made him feel both guilty and ashamed. He thought it was a pity he hadn't found the Psychonauts first.

After a while he finally pulled his mind out of the spiraling trance that was holding it he turned to Dogen, who was staring at the ceiling.

"Hey…how strong would you say Psychonaut security is?" He asked. Dogen pulled his eyes away from the ceiling and gave Stephen an oddly dismal look. Stephen frowned…as he felt a twinge of depression. Then he sighed. "Never mind." He said, wondering vaguely how he would be punished if he just didn't show up at 3:00.

XXX

Sunset, and The gates to Whispering rock towered over the elder man as he grinned. He never went to the camp personally. He was a leader. When it came to this sort of work, it was other people that should be thrust into the jaws of danger as the leaders sat back, and waited. But he was there now.

Kellen levitated over the gates, expecting that somewhere, an alarm had gone of, alerting someone of his presence. He didn't stand by and wait for them to show up. That would take too long…instead; he intended to find whoever guarded this place himself.

In the warm spring breeze crickets chirped, and branches snapped as squirrels…and the occasional dangerous and psychically polluted bear or cougar walked through the forest. Kellen ignored them. He tried to operate the mechanism to measure Psychic energy, which worked a lot like heat detectors or night vision goggles but turned it off almost immediately. Whispering Rock was a severely unstable area and the reading went crazy almost at once due to the high psitanium count in the earth. Kellen decided to rely on his own talents instead.

"Excuse me, but do you have permission to be here?" The voice came from behind, and seemingly out of nowhere. Kellen grabbed at the gun and spun around, pointing it at a hunched over elderly man dressed in a straw hat and carrying a rake. His finger was on the trigger and with an extra ounce of pressure, Ranger Cruller would have been completely obliterated, being pure Psychic energy in himself.

However, after a moment, Kellen's grip relaxed. He lowered the gun, and gave the man a very perceptible look. Kellen grinned.

"Well...I didn't expect to ever see you again, Agent Cruller."

XXX

There was a waning spot of moonlight on the floor of Stephen and Dogen's bedroom. The younger boy had been staring at it for the last fifteen minutes, his heart pounding in his chest. From across the room he heard Dogen snoring. He swallowed and slowly and quietly got out from under the covers.

He had been dressed since ten o'clock…and had even slowly put his shoes on at around one o' clock to keep himself busy. Now, all that was left was to pocket a few small explosions and actually sneak out of the room. That part was easy. Dogen didn't stir.

As he crept down the hallway, he listened for any sounds that might be someone else wandering the building at night. He had already decided on a specific door to use and was currently moving towards it as quietly as possible.

For the most part, he wasn't bothered. Twice he had to duck behind something when he thought he heard a door opening and shutting, but he never actually saw anyone moving around. Around him, in his heightened sense of perception and apprehension the shadows suddenly became too cluttered and sounds seemed to come from everywhere, until he was finally at the door. He thought at the time that it was odd that it wasn't being guarded…and it should have sent off some sort of alarm in his head right then and there. But it didn't. Instead, he slipped out and was gone into the night.

He had walked a considerable distance, and therefore, did not notice when, fifteen minutes later, the door seemed to open and shut on it's own.

XXX

Raz was sipping absently at a cup of hot black coffee, which had long ago stopped being terrible to him because when one was on the road a lot, specifically in something as poor as the circus, hot black coffee, however old or strongly made, was something that came in abundance and to good and grateful use, where as cream, sugar, and mocha cappuccinos…alas, did not.

He was dressed commonly, and had retired the goggles and hat because they made him stand out. He had thought about sunglasses, but decided that they weren't much less suspicious…it being three o' clock in the morning and therefore completely dark outside.

It was for this reason that when Stephen walked in, looking nervous and exhausted, he had to look over the café twice before he recognized Raz. Still, he remained motionless for a moment until the older boy waved to him.

"Hey." Raz said, while taking another drink of his coffee. Slowly, Stephen sat down in the seat across from him.

XXX

He couldn't help but stare. After a moment he forced himself to relax and answered.

"Hi." He replied, while meeting the boy's bright green eyes. Tank smiled lightly and set his coffee down.

"Want something to drink?" He said, and motioned towards the menu, hanging on the wall.

"That's ok." Stephen replied. Still, a few minutes later, he found himself with a cup of tea in front of him.

"So," Tank said from across the table. Stephen bit his lip absently as he prepared to be asked the questions he probably couldn't answer.

"Having fun?" Stephen looked up.

"Uh…yeah…it's great." He answered, and then backpedaled a little. "Or…you know, it's okay." He took a drink of his tea and began to play with his sleeve.

"How's the training going?"

"Good…it's easier then your…our training." Stephen frowned and looked away. When he looked back Tank was wearing a look of amusement. When Stephen caught it the older boy cleared his throat and drank quickly from his coffee. Stephen found this a bit odd.

"So…" Stephen started…as he became increasingly uncomfortable. "Is there…anything…in particular you want to know?" He asked nervously.

Tank smiled and downed the rest of his coffee.

"Nah. Just wanted to see how you were getting on. Unless there's something important…" he looked at the watch on his wrist for a moment. "I won't keep you too long." Stephen blinked.

"Uh…not really." _Is this how it's supposed to go?_

"Well." Tank said. "Not usually, but I figured in the first couple weeks you wouldn't have too much information. I just wanted to check up on you and make sure things were going well." This time Stephen felt his smile had a bit more meaning in it.

"They are." Stephen replied, grateful, ignoring the fact that the boy had just absently read his mind.

"Great." Tank stood and motioned for Stephen to do the same. "Then I better be going. I'll meet you in the same place in a week."

"Uh…will Mr. Chitt be upset at not having any information?" Stephen questioned as he stood. Tank pushed his chair in, wincing a little and grabbed a crutch from beside him, which Stephen hadn't noticed at all until that very moment.

"Probably, but don't worry about it…he'll take it out on me, not you." He said this so nonchalantly that Stephen felt slightly ill.

"What…happened to your leg?" Stephen asked, watching the crutch. Tank looked down and then shrugged it off.

"Just got a little bruised up on a mission." He seemed to catch Stephen's look and smiled. "It happens."

Tank looked at the door for a moment then turned back towards Stephen.

"I'll go first, wait five minutes before you leave. It's dumb, I know…but only a precaution. Good luck, Stephen." He walked out, using the crutch only slightly as he did.

XXX

Generally in these situations, he was prepared for anything. That was why, when the tall boy with the crutch came out first, he was taken slightly off guard. It was dark, he was invisible, his mind was completely blocked off and the boy _hesitated! _He actually stopped and looked around…and here was the other thing, although he was only two feet away, he couldn't catch even a whisper from the boy's mind.

He could hear the young boys thoughts inside the café, and the workers thoughts, as they concerned themselves with heading home and closing up…he could even hear vaguely, the thoughts of other individuals on the streets and in apartment buildings, but the young man, standing so close that he could reach out and touch him was silent…and he could sense him…he knew it. He could only hope that the boy's senses were not as strong as the barrier into his mind.

For a moment, the boy who had pulled a hood over his features, pulled it tighter around him and in the darkness, examined the area carefully. He then blinked in the darkness and started to walk down the street, limping slightly. The man stood and watched him go, his brow furrowed in concentration.

_So…familiar. _

Stephen, the younger boy offered him no difficulties at all, aside from the fact that he was still concentrating on the retreating figure when the younger boy exited the coffee shop. He was about five steps out when, behind him in the shadows; Sasha made himself visible.

"Ah…Mr. Brickall…out for a night stroll then?" Sasha grinned, satisfied as the boy froze in complete terror and guilt.

_Got you. _The German man thought to himself.

XXX

Once again, sorry for the delay. I'll try to update Always the Same soon, as well. I go on Spring Break in about a week…so I should have time then. Luv you all! Thanx for the reviews!


	15. An Interrogation

Chapter Fifteen:

An Interrogation

"It's RANGER Cruller." The old man replied as he stared at the lowered weapon at Kellen's side. "And from the looks of things you don't have permission to be here. I was given strict orders!" Kellen went on grinning.

"You? Orders? From who?" The old man seemed suddenly to be lost in his own world. When he came out of his reverie he scowled and pointed the rake at Kellen in a threatening manner.

"That's not important. Now get! Before I call the authorities on you." For a moment Kellen looked puzzled…then his face cleared and his grin returned in full.

"Oh, I see…your still loony from our last encounter." He seemed to think about something for a moment. "Funny thing, I wear psitanium next to my mind at all times…just a little and I'm fine. You're in a place chalk full of the blasted stuff and you think you're a ranger…how does that happen, Ford?" He said as he tapped the tiny metallic band over his right eye.

"I don't know what you talking about…but I won't stand for this any longer!"

He started to head towards the lodge with purpose. Kellen's smile faded, and with a vacant look, more wretched then that of his anger or rage he pulled the gun up and shot Ranger Cruller between his shoulder blades.

The old man was shoved forward with the impact. Right before he would have landed face down in the grass, Kellen saw a peculiar sight. Suddenly all of the colors seemed to wash out of the old manand Kellen saw, for a few brief moments, that he could see the Lodge through Ranger Cruller before he vanished entirely.

After a moment of silence, Kellen brought the gun up to his face and stared at it as if it were some kind of fascinating and alien creature.

"What the hell?"

He placed the gun protectively in his belt after being sure to turn the safety on and began to reach around mentally. He became aware of several presences. Normally this wouldn't concern him too much…but it was curious, for all of the presences he detected seemed to come from the same mind. He didn't even know how THAT could be possible. After a moment of contemplation he set his mind on the strongest presence…which…apparently was directly underneath him.

_What? _

He frowned and sat on the edge of a tree stump to rest for a moment as he tried to figure things out. When he did he experienced a brief moment of vertigo where he nearly fell…when he felt he should be sitting on something solid, before he pulled himself off the of the tree stump and looked at it more carefully.

_Hmm? _

XXX

Ford had been reading through the file that Sasha had left for him again, when he was suddenly brought to his knees by a sharp pain in the depths of his mind. He cried out and dropped the file, watching through bleary eyes as all of the pages came flying out and floated lightly to the ground where they came to rest.

He brought a shaky hand up to his left temple and rubbed as the horrible pain began to subside. When he stood, his vision doubled for a moment, then went back to normal. The pain went away…but something was still wrong. He felt like someone who had just risen from a battle to find, somehow in the process of fighting and then lying, he had lost a limb without knowing it. Ford examined himself briefly…just to be sure then shook his head…but the feeling wouldn't go away.

Finally he walked hesitantly to the security system and began to turn it on. He had turned it off earlier because every time it went off it had interrupted his reading. And this would have been fine…even welcome if each time had been a real emergency…instead of some stupid squirrel. As he did he watched the screens for any sign of movement.

As he was watching _them_, something moved behind him. He stood up straight and scowled, feeling the room for a mind…and hoping that it _was_ a squirrel this time. It wasn't.

"Your familiar…but not near so much as to have permission to be HERE." Ford turned; there was only a moment where he was surprised and not surprised at the same time. "So it's true."

Everything went dark.

XXX

Stephen followed Sasha Nein to the gates of Psychonauts HQ almost wishing that he were back on the obstacle course at The Chitt Learning Center.

Sasha was silent the entire time, which was nerve-racking. All he had said was that Stephen must follow him to his office, where he would be questioned…and that he should think twice about any sudden movements…because he was being held under suspicion.

_Some spy I am_… Stephen thought bitterly. _I've already been caught and the only thing I've managed to tell Tank about the Psychonauts is that their training's easier then ours. Great. _There was a moment where he felt slightly alarmed for having thought that, but this soon faded…he figured he was already sunk as it was. If this man's psychic capabilities were anything like Tank's, he probably already knew too much.

Sasha showed his badge at the gate, which was opened immediately for him and motioned for Stephen to go ahead of him, where he could keep his eye on his every movement. Not a lot of people paid much attention to them as they walked in the building and down the hall. Stephen mostly watched his feet and thought about all of the possible things that the Psychonauts could do to him.

XXX

Sasha stopped at a door a few feet away from his office first and knocked quietly. After a moment when there was only silence, he knocked again and sent a mental wave through the wall.

_Milla…_

More silence, then the sound of a lock coming undone and the door was opened. Milla peered out, looking tired. She wrapped her bathrobe around her pajamas tightly as she took in the presence of Sasha and Stephen.

"It's so early, Sasha? What is it?" She asked, looking a little concerned.

"I need your assistance." Sasha said, blushing slightly at the sight of Milla in her nightclothes.

"For what, darling?" She asked, her voice slightly muffled as she yawned.

"For an interrogation." Milla started and her eyes fell on Stephen…who was looking ill.

"Well…I'll just get dressed then, shall I." She said carefully as she disappeared back into her room.

Sasha pointed to his own door.

"In my office." He said, as he unlocked it and held it open for the boy…frowning as he was becoming increasingly aware that this whole thing was beginning to feel more like a meeting with the school principal, rather then an interrogation. "Sit."

Stephen sat down nervously in the chair opposite of Sasha.

After five uncomfortable minutes where neither of them said anything, Milla let herself in and pulled up a chair next to Sasha.

"Now…before we begin, do you mind telling me why we're questioning this boy?" She said, with an obvious touch of disapproval in her voice. Sasha cleared his throat.

"Because, Miss Vodello, I have reason to believe that this boy may be a spy." The color drained from Stephen's face. Milla looked at him in surprise and then turned a skeptical eye on Sasha.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Not at all…but I caught him sneaking around this evening and meeting with a suspicious character a few miles away. There are a few other things that lead me to suspect him as well." Sasha lit a cigarette and placed it between his lips. "With all of this Cerebral Soldiers business, we can't be too careful."

"Well…I suppose." Milla said, as she sat back in her chair and watched Stephen with protective apprehension.

Sasha stood and crossed the room over to Stephen who was watching him nervously.

"Now this technique that I am about to try on you is called hypnosis. You have nothing whatsoever to fear as long as you are innocent." Milla interrupted.

"Such a heavy method of questioning, Sasha, is it necessary?"

"We can't be too careful…and don't worry, I assure you it's perfectly safe." He said encouragingly.

Stephen was not so encouraged…in fact, what he wanted more than anything at that moment was to be somewhere far away from Sasha and his hypnotic methods. He knew he was guilty…and he was not nearly powerful enough to hold Sasha's powers off. After Sasha got the information he needed, Stephen would be at the mercy of The Psychonauts…which was only one very small step ahead of being at the mercy of the Cerebral Soldiers. And either way…he'd probably receive abuse from both ends in the long run.

_My life sucks. _Was the last independent thought he had before Sasha's hypnotic influence washed over him.

XXX

Milla stood and walked over to Sasha, who was examining the child as one might examine a safe that needed to be cracked open.

"He doesn't look like a spy to me." Milla said as she gave Sasha a very manipulative and slightly frightening womanly gaze.

"Yes, but that may be the objective." He replied. "In any case, we shall find out immediately."

He got on his knees and gazed into Stephen's hollow and sleep deprived eyes. He DIDN'T look like a spy. No, not at all. And he didn't appear or act dangerous either. It didn't make any sense why a man with Kellen's description would send this malnourished pathetic child on an important mission in enemy territory…unless there was more to it then Sasha could see. Or unless he was wrong of course…but if that were the case, Milla would never let him live it down.

"Stephen, I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and you will answer them completely and honestly to the best of your memory and ability. Do you understand? Just nod."

Stephen nodded dreamily.

"Alright. First question. How did you know about my utter loathing of carnival glass lamps?"

Behind him Milla put her hands on her hips.

"Is that what all of this is about? Because if it is, I think you may be overreacting."

"This is important, Miss Vodello." Sasha said, his face still emotionless.

"Sasha everyone knows your afraid of those lamps…you flinch whenever you get close to one…and most of the agents still recall that one time when you had to leave one of our clients houses because she had them all over her living room."

Sasha turned an affronted look towards Milla.

"First of all, Miss Vodello…I am not afraid of carnival glass lamps…I simply find them very tasteless…secondly, I would please ask you to hold all comment while I am questioning the suspect." Milla sighed.

"Mr. Brickall, answer the question please." Stephen swayed dreamily for a moment, as he seemed to dwell on the inquiry.

"Tank…told me…in a letter." He answered quietly. Sasha and Milla shared a look.

"Who's Tank?" Sasha asked after a moment.

"He's a nice boy…I like him a lot." Sasha cleared his throat.

"Alright this is getting a bit awkward…um…what…role does this boy play in _your_ life?" He asked.

"He taught me how to get over the obstacle course at school." Stephen said, as he relaxed his shoulders.

" I see…is he a teacher or a friend?" Stephen looked puzzled for a moment.

"I think he's my friend." He said dazedly.

"Alright…how would this boy, Tank, come across information about me."

Stephen didn't say anything. Sasha and Milla stood in complete silence for a moment before Sasha spoke up.

"Stephen?"

"I don't know…"

Milla leaned down next to Sasha.

"Let's just get down to the point, darling. It's late and this boy looks tired enough as it is. Stephen. Sweetheart. Are you in any way connected with the Cerebral Soldiers?"

Both agents watched him closely. He looked up and met Milla and Sasha's eyes with his clouded ones and nodded.

"Yeah." He said. Milla stood up, shocked. Sasha tried to hide his own slight astonishment as he readjusted his glasses.

"How darling?" Milla asked in a breathless voice.

"I'm their spy." Stephen answered groggily. "Kellen sent me to gather information."

"And that place…that person you met with this evening…what have you already told them?" Sasha asked, suddenly angry with this boy, who looked so completely innocent and helpless.

"Nothing…" Stephen said as his head fell heavily to the right.

"Why would you meet with someone and share nothing?"

"I didn't have anything to say…and he didn't ask." Stephen answered. Sasha's head was throbbing; he turned to say something to Milla, but stopped when he saw her face. She looked positively livid. She stooped down and for a completely reality bending moment he thought she was going to smack the boy. Instead, she took his shoulders gently as she rested before him on one knee.

"Stephen, how does Kellen treat you?" She asked concernedly. Sasha blinked in surprise and then massaged his temples. It figured that Milla would automatically try to place the blame on ANYONE but the child. To her, all children were infants who needed to be protected.

"Milla." He started.

"He's insane." Stephen said, interrupting whatever else it was he was going to say. "Everyone's afraid of him. I think even Tank's afraid of him…but he hides it well."

"Did he make you come here?" Milla asked softly. Stephen shook his head.

"He didn't want me to because I'm weak. He only let me because Tank got me over the obstacle course."

"This Tank, you look up to him a lot? Is he a Cerebral Soldier as well?" Milla asked patiently. Stephen nodded.

"Can you tell me about other soldiers there? Do you know their names?" At this point Sasha decided to just sit back and let Milla do things her own way. She seemed to be on top of things…and perhaps the names of those involved with the enemy organization WAS more important then the information about his lamp phobia.

However, Stephen shook his head.

"I don't know any of their names." Both Milla and Sasha looked surprised for a moment.

"None of them?" Stephen shook his head.

"No one…except for the instructors…and Kellen."

"Have you not been there long?" Sasha asked curiously from the place where he was sitting.

"No one knows each other's names…we're all given numbers…and nicknames." Stephen answered. Sasha noticed that Stephen's voice was beginning to strengthen and sound less drugged.

"I'd better hit him with more power, Milla, he's coming out of hypnosis." Milla put her hand up and shook her head.

"No, darling. Let's talk to him in his right frame of mind." Sasha gave her a look of disapproval.

"I'm not so sure if that's a good idea. He could be dangerous." Even as he was saying it he felt the words fall flat.

"I have a feeling…trust me on this." Sasha watched her for a moment and then shrugged.

"Very well." He said. "The effects should wear off soon." He sat back down. Milla gave him a warm smile that said that he had made the right decision and that going with her resolve was the best thing for everyone.

"Thank you, darling."

XXX

ARGH! My head is clogged and I'm sneezing every fifteen seconds. This chapter was suppose to be longer…but I'm not so sure that in sickness I haven't completely annihilated all that is writing within the last few pages of this chapter. I had to cut it short because I am not thinking straight right now. Still, I hope you enjoy it. I'll fix any horrible problems once this HORRIBLE virus finally leaves me (If it ever does!)


	16. Goodbye Old Friend

Chapter Sixteen:

**Goodbye Old Friend**

Agent Ford Cruller woke up and peered at the world through a thick smog. For a moment he could not recall what had happened to him. Then, as the last few minutes began to come together, a tall figure stepped in front of his vision. Cruller scowled. He tried to move, but found himself bound to one of his floating chairs.

"I'm sorry they didn't put you in prison!" Ford said menacingly as a smiling Kellen stood before him.

"My dear friend, is that any way to greet your old partner?" Kellen replied. Ford's eyes narrowed.

"You've crossed the line this time Kellen…there won't be any mercy for you now." Kellen laughed softly as he leaned against the chair Ford was sitting in.

"Mercy…is that what you call it? Locking me up in that desolate place to endure the slow decomposition of my mind? Ha! I need no mercy from you. The Psychonauts have no idea what I am planning and who I have on my side. They cannot locate me; they cannot find information on those I have influenced." He seemed to pause in thought. Kellen turned to face Ford and his smile was back.

"Let's not argue. I didn't come down here in hopes of getting in a fight with an old friend. Actually, the only reason I am not back at my hideaway is to catch a young man in the midst of a foolish lie…and you have aided me in this…so you deserve to be given a chance to right what you wronged so many years ago." Ford scowled and watched the man as he ran a finger across a random surface. He had always been the sort of person who was fond of drama. Ford wished he could set the man's hair on fire or something…he had lost his patience with Kellen's act years before.

"Join me now my friend…against the company of people who turned you away." Kellen said, a slight smile ordaining his features.

"Hah! Never. Unlike you, I don't feel the urge to go around destroying things when I don't get my way!" Ford retorted. He sat back in the seat and watched as Kellen went on with his cool façade. Anyone who knew the man could spot the madness a mile away…anyone who didn't would have some trouble.

"Very well. Hardheaded as ever I see. Well…that is a shame." He sighed in disappointment as he leaned forward and grasped at a stack of papers. After reading a few words he laughed to himself and turned to Ford, brandishing the file thoughtfully.

"You know…he said you guys would be all over me and my "wacko insane plans" within the first month…he had a sharp mouth on him back then…lots of spirit…I still haven't managed to squeeze it all out of him yet." Ford peered down at the files in Kellen's hands. They were the ones Sasha had loaned to him several weeks before. He knew enough not to say anything…it would only encourage the madman. Kellen wanted him to be curious…he wanted to make him angry.

"I'll have him soon though." Kellen said, and for a moment it looked as though he went into a trance. His eyes glazed over and he touched some invisible thing before him. "He screams…and he doesn't even know he's doing it…and when he screams and his head hurts so badly his mind is open to me…it's like an explosion that opens that unyielding mind wide open and I can reach in and pull whatever strings I need to." His hand was a fist now. Ford watched him uneasily.

"Your completely insane." Ford said in a whisper. "Even psitanium doesn't do anything for you…" Kellen smiled and his eyes grew clear again.

"That may be so, my friend. But this madman will soon be in control of everything you once protected…and no one can stop me. I have an army that will throw themselves gladly in a fiery inferno for me all the while battling your honorable men…who will have no idea what hit them." Ford's glare turned into the sort of grin you show off in the midst of true hatred and blind fury.

"You old fool…what you have is a bunch of cowards who think you can give them the power they desire. What you have is an army of whiny kids who'll follow you into the belly of danger and then do anything to save their own hinds in the end!"

Kellen's smile faded and he offered Ford a very sincere look. For a moment, a forlorn speck of sanity danced in his wild eyes.

"Yes…most of them are. Foolish boys who'll do terrible things…as long as they know they wont get hurt. Yes, they are very weak, very stupid, very cowardly…and therefore, exceedingly easy to control." He stood with a sigh, as Ford watched him in horror. His mind was reeling with fury.

"Your using mind control…" he said breathlessly.

"Oh yes…of course such a technique is not so easy with some…for instance, that boy you met the other night." Ford raised his brow.

"That boy…he was sick. You can't tell me you didn't have some kind of control over him. I felt like my head was splitting wide open when I tried to read his mind." Kellen smiled.

"Yes…but not mind control. I needed something more powerful for that…specific mind. He bends to my will because he knows I can make him dangerous…and yet…and yet he still had the nerve to lie about you." Kellen leaned forward and examined Ford closely. "Maybe it's time I shook him up a little. It's been four years since I killed that girl in front of him…since I shoved that first bit of psitanium inside his unyielding mind and began to hurt him and he still hopes that his beloved Psychonauts will save the day…after all this time he defies me." Ford listened to Kellen, a growing horror building up inside of him.

"God."

That boy…he moved as though he knew exactly what he was doing…as though he had been doing it for years.

_Do you work for Kellen? You might as well answer…we know all about you guys. _

_Not enough, Agent Cruller._

"Oh my god…" Kellen smiled.

"He'll be so sad when he hears that your dead…all because of his childish lies…janitor…forest ranger…indeed." Kellen laughed and turned. "Goodbye my dear old friend." He said as he moved over to Ford's keyboard and began to mess with it. He typed something in and then turned and saluted.

"It's been fun." With that there was a moment when his image stretched and grew distorted before he transported himself out of Ford's domain.

**Warning! Emergency Internal offense mechanism set off. Meltdown will begin in five minutes. **

The mechanical feminine voice boomed off of the walls. Ford began to examine his current situation with the cool precision of an expert agent.

'Tied down with flame-resistant wires…my own in fact…I hate irony.' He thought to himself. He concentrated. 'Stupid looking psychic cap is in place…I can't teleport with this thing on…and…nope…too far away from any mechanisms I could possibly use to communicate with someone.'

"I'm getting to old for this."

XXX

Stephen blinked. His mind was a little fuzzy…and he almost preferred it that way. As long as he couldn't think clearly he couldn't be afraid.

"Are you awake, darling?" The woman was speaking to him in a kind voice. He stared at her through heavy eyes.

"Yuh." He said and shook his head, as his voice seemed to amplify in his own skull.

"Good…we want to ask you a few questions while you're in your right mind. We have to ask that you are honest. Do you understand?" Stephen nodded, as his nerves began to catch up with his head.

"Okay. First question. Do you like it here?" Stephen blinked and cast a look towards the tall man sitting behind Milla. He was expressionless through his sunglasses. It kind of reminded him of Tank.

"Yes." He said in a small voice.

"Do people treat you fairly?" He nodded.

"And do you wish to hurt them?" Stephen became aware that his knuckles were turning white as he grabbed the underside of his chair. He shook his head.

"No." he said, sounding slightly dismayed.

"Good. Would you be willing to tell us the things you know about The Cerebral Soldiers?" Milla asked patiently. Stephen swallowed and shook his head.

"I can't."

"Even if we promise that no harm would come to you?"

"You can't promise that." Stephen said, shaking his head. "Besides he…he worked so hard…I can't get him in trouble now."

"Who darling?" Stephen bit down on his lip and shook his head, putting all of his willpower into closing his mind. Sasha stood and leaned down in front of him. Milla gave him an uncertain look.

"Listen Mr. Brickall, what Miss Vodello…and myself are offering you is a chance to switch sides. I don't believe you are dangerous to us…but if you do not cooperate we must treat you as we would any traitor." Stephen resisted the urge to cry or worse…start stuttering and with a set expression, took a deep breath and gave Sasha a defiant expression. Sasha nodded.

"Very well…but answer me this. Are you doing this for Kellen?" Stephen seemed to think about this. After a while he shook his head.

"Then why don't you help? If you have friends there then you must know that no good can come out of leaving them under the control of a maniac." Milla nodded in agreement.

"Yes darling. Believe us, we would never do anything to hurt a child…no matter what foolish choices they made. Many of those kids need our help…even if they themselves do not know it."

Stephen cast a look back and forth between both of them. Then, after a long moment of reflection he nodded.

"They're nothing but bullies you know…they don't even work well together…" He said slowly. He sighed. "I hate them. Anyway…even if I kept my silence Kellen would still punish me…" He paused. "I could tell I was on the wrong side after spending an hour here…but…"

_Then there's Tank…I don't want to disappoint him. _

"This may be so…but sometimes you have to disappoint someone in order to do the right thing. You will be helping him as well you know…you will be doing what's best for him…even if he doesn't see it that way." Sasha said carefully. Stephen looked away.

Such a common argument. What exactly was the right thing? Tank had risked a lot to teach him and get him where he was. He was the only person who had ever had faith in him…and was probably the first friend Stephen had ever made. He was loyal and Stephen was certain, at least mostly certain that Tank would not have ratted a friend out...not for anything. Was it right to turn on him now…even if he was on the wrong side? It didn't feel right.

…But then…was it right to risk the lives of the kind people he had met during his time at Psychonauts HQ because he wanted to honor the friendship of one boy amongst a hundred of uncaring and dangerous fools? Stephen closed his eyes.

"Stephen…" Milla asked softly, while putting a gentle hand on the boys shoulder.

"I know where they are…it's an abandoned building not too far from here. I can't tell you any names though…"

"You're doing the right thing, Stephen." Sasha said in his monotone voice.

"I know." Stephen said sadly.

XXX

Ford squirmed in the wires, an expression of concentration on his face. He had managed to loosen the binds on his arms slightly. All he needed was enough room to move just slightly.

**Meltdown in 30 seconds…29…28…27…**

Ford kicked forward with his bound legs, which connected to another chair. The chair he was bound to creaked with the onslaught of pressure and tilted slightly.

**13…12…11**

Ford took a deep breath and put all of his remaining energy into his next kick. When his shoes connected with the other chair, the one he was on fell over. He hit the ground still bound to it, his shoulder aching as it connected with the hard surface and was painfully disconnected.

Ford watched through half conscious eyes as the hideous cap rolled lazily off his head and came to rest a few feet away.

**3…2…1…**

He squeezed his eyes shut as everything suddenly blew up in front of his face. Sparks danced in front of his eyes and he felt a gush of heat singe his brow. A moment after, a large portion of the machine hanging above him fell heavily on the chair, crushing it under immense weight. Empty wires danced as though filled with electricity…and every screen in the room blinked out of existence as the place that was once his sanctuary…the place that Kellen had turned into his grave fell to pieces…

It was fortunate, then…that Ford did not actually witness any of this…as he lay, only half aware of his situation on the sand by the lakes edge…the remains of foreign images dancing around him as he came out of a last minute teleportation.

After a few moments of salvaging the cool breeze and rather comforting knowledge of being alive he sat up with a groan and stared off towards the end of the beach, where the lodge rose above the trees. Kellen was no longer here…he could tell. He looked down at the sand, and the waves that lapped gently against the beach.

_He came up in that lungfish's mouth…he moved like an acrobat. I should of known…or at least SUSPECTED._

"No matter." Ford said softly. There was no point in dwelling on that now. That wouldn't help Raz at all. He couldn't do much once his body became disconnected from the psitanium…but until then he would do his best to at least get a message to Sasha or Milla. Kellen had to be stopped.

"It's about time they locked you away…old friend."

XXX

Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy. I'll get started on the next chapter of Always the Same too. I hope this turned out all right.


	17. Psitanium Brain

Chapter Seventeen:

Psitanium Brain

Raz hurried back through the streets, his crutch almost set aside as he jogged in a half limp back towards the café.

_Damn! _He thought as he reached the door and stopped, panting. He grabbed his aching ribs and leaned against the building, kicking the garbage can as he did. It tilted lazily and it's contents showered the street.

When he originally volunteered Stephen for the spy mission he had had a plan. This plan did not include Stephen being shadowed by Sasha Nein to the café after only three weeks and being discovered as a traitor. He should have known right away! He walked right by him!

Raz didn't actually expect Stephen to run into any top agents while at Psychonauts Headquarters. He figured that they would be too busy to pay attention to a new Psychadet. Apparently he had been wrong.

Originally he had wanted Stephen to make the decision on his own. He wanted to find him a nicer establishment with nicer people where the boy could be away from Kellen and the wretched kids at The Chitt Learning Center. Now that he hadn't made the decision on his own, Raz was worried that the Psychonauts wouldn't go so easy on him. But what could he do?

_You could go over there, dammit and find out for yourself! _Raz's eyes narrowed as he thought warily of the consequences that may come from going to Psychonauts HQ. He almost headed towards the building when suddenly the world exploded.

Or at least that's what it seemed like. The explosion seemed to occur within his mind, a flash that sent his teeth rattling as the psitanium in his forehead sent out spasms of pain. Raz fell to his knees, receiving strange looks from people passing by, who must've thought he was either insane or drunk. The pain passed slowly and Raz's vision came back. He stood and looked in the direction of the summer camp, horrified.

_What have you done? _

He felt a tingling sensation surging through his fingers. _He's trying to teleport me. _He thought as he purposefully blocked the madman, anger rising inside of him.

_SCREW YOU! _He sent it forcefully through his mind andturned away from Headquarters. Stephen would have to wait. He started towards the summer camp. Even before he felt the strong sensation of power wash over him he felt the man's anger. Kellen tried to teleport him again and Raz blocked it vehemently. For a moment there was nothing and Raz prepared himself for whatever came next.

He got eight or nine steps before the pain started. At first it was bearable and he kept walking, but with every step it grew more and more excruciating, until Raz was clenching his teeth. Finally the ringing started and the sounds and Raz stopped. He grasped desperately at whatever coherency remained.

_You MUST go to the summer camp! Agent Cruller could be in trouble. _

**_You must stop the pain, Razputin. I can stop the pain…come to me. _**

_"_Shut up." Raz said through his teeth. He took a few more steps foreword before it became too much. He collapsed against the wall. It was impossible to think clearly. It was too strong, after a few minutes he wouldn't even be able to remember who he was…or what he wanted. All he would think about was making it stop. And Kellen would feed him thoughts…and Raz would believe every one, no matter how insane…because he couldn't think of anything but the pain.

Raz let go of the wall.

_Fine…you win…for now. _He vanished before he hit the ground.

XXX

"Alright…so it's in an abandoned education facility near an old town on the cross of Root Boulevard and Vein Street. That's just twenty miles away isn't it? I'm surprised he hasn't tried something already." Sasha was writing something furiously in a pocket notebook. As he did a cigarette hovered an inch from his head and a cup of coffee was pouring itself a bit too much sugar. "Perhaps you can tell us about the build of the establishment…entrances…security…"

"Sasha darling…" Milla interrupted, looking exhausted, and growing more and more exhausted as she watched Sasha's increasing wakefulness. Beside her Stephen kept nodding off.

"Perhaps this can wait until a bit later in the morning." She said softly. "It's seven o' clock and this young man has probably been awake all night. Besides, you know how you get when you haven't slept for more then two nights in a row." Sasha scowled.

"This is very important, Miss Vodello." He said, as Stephen watched them both hopefully.

"Yes darling, I understand. But a few more hours couldn't hurt. After all, Kellen doesn't know we captured his spy. I think we could all use with a bit of rest." Sasha looked stubborn for a moment before his shoulders slumped slightly in defeat.

"Very well, I suppose it couldn't hurt too much." He set the notebook down and put out his cigarette in a downtrodden manner. Stephen sighed with relief. Just as he started to stand, however, the door suddenly flew open. Stephen dropped back into his seat, wide eyed as the small and irritable man who had been running the desk the day he arrived stepped into the room and scanned it. His alert eyes fell on Sasha who was gazing at the door in what must have been his manner of surprise.

"Marceau! What is it?" Milla asked vigilantly.

"Morry this is a highly important meeting you have just barged into. What is your reason for doing so?" Sasha said in more stern tones. Oleander gave the room a once over and scowled at Sasha.

"Well excuse me, Sasha!" He said, his voice brimming with sarcasm. "I didn't mean to interrupt your highly important meeting with this…" he motioned towards Stephen who was clutching the sides of his chair. "…highly important officer! I just thought you might want to know that Whispering Rock has just been attacked!"

Sasha blinked.

"What?" He said, surprised. Milla stood up straight, looking worried.

"By who?" Sasha demanded.

"Oh now your interested huh? Not too important in here for me anymore is it?" Sasha rolled his eyes. Just above his dark glasses a vein in his forehead was standing out slightly. Milla waved him back.

"Alright Marceau, just tell us what happened."

"Well, you know those scanners we convinced Truman to put in a while back that were suppose to be for the safety of the kids, but doubled for us as a line of communication with Agent Cruller?"

"Yes darling."

"Well this morning they went nuts! Truman had to cut the power because they were disturbing important stuff. He wanted to get an agent down immediately in case there was a Psitanium leak, but I convinced him to hold off until I told you. Then, after he had the power cut and everyone got to work I went to my office (Sasha scoffed at this point. Morry's office was a broom closet in sector B that was set up to make calls and once, to store secret plans for the abduction of certain children.) and tried to call Ford. Either the lines broken…or he isn't answering."

XXX

Lili woke up from a nightmare. When ever she had really meaningful dreams they came in groups, night after night until she was able to discover what they meant…then they'd go away and she would sleep blissfully and dreamless before her psyche threw her some other mystery that had nothing to do with her and that she had little interest in. This nightmare was interrupted however by a hammering on her door.

She threw off the covers and hanged her legs down over the bed. The room appeared to be bathed in scarlet. Lili reached up and removed Raz's goggles. She didn't want to be seen sleeping in them. People might start to worry about her if she was. She set them aside and floated her robe over from a hook on her closet door and wrapped it around her shoulders before she went about unlocking the door. She had remained at Psychonauts HQ with the other agents for the last two weeks because of the Cerebral Soldier threat…and was getting somewhat sick of sharing a roof with thousands of other agents who didn't seem to get much sleep or know what privacy was.

She opened the door a little and peered out. Sasha and Milla were standing at it looking worried. Lili opened it the rest way.

"Do you know what time it is?" She asked drearily.

"Yes, we're aware it's early, but there's been an emergency." Sasha said quickly. Lili seemed to brighten up a little. Things had been so dull lately.

"Oh?"

"The camp has been attacked and agent Cruller isn't answering." Lili woke up the rest way.

"The camp?' She said, caught slightly off guard.

"Yes darling, normally we'd go immediately but Truman wants his top agents here. We have information on the Cerebral Soldiers whereabouts and he won't let us go. To him, this is a minor emergency." Milla explained rapidly. Sasha cut in.

"I'm sure he'd want you here too, but ONE of us must go and check on Ford…and since me and Milla can't…and Morry is currently Truman's personal secretary and therefore…very busy…we want you to leave immediately."

"We'll have to explain things to your father after you leave."

Lili looked back and forth between them before nodding.

"Alright." She said. "But you guys better not do anything interesting while I'm gone." She shut the door lightly and headed back into her room to change.

XXX

Stephen walked into his room at 8:00 am after the excitement had died down and Milla had motioned for him to go. Dogen was sitting on his bed staring at the wall. When Stephen entered he looked at him. Stephen ignored his gaze. He headed over to his bed and collapsed. He was a Psychadet now…officially. No one would ever know that he was ever a spy…no one but him, Sasha and Milla. He didn't have to ever see Kellen or any of those monstrous children again.

He may not even have to go home and see his father. Sasha said that they needed parental approval, but when the boy had explained that it was his father's idea to send him to the Cerebral Soldiers in the first place the older man said that they would work something out. This might mean that he would be sent back to his father…or it might mean he'd get to stay…he wasn't sure yet. He didn't care…

He was miserable. He liked the Psychonauts. He liked the kids…he didn't want to hurt them. He was still miserable. He was trusted with a big mission and he failed. Tank worked hard to get him there and he ratted him out…now because of him the Psychonauts knew where The Cerebral Sodiers were. Some spy.

Stephen buried his head under a pillow and sighed deeply.

XXX

When Raz arrived at Kellen's office, the man reached out to grab his collar. Raz dodged his hand and without coherent thought punched the man as hard as he could in the jaw. Kellen nearly fell backwards but caught himself and for a moment stared at Raz in disbelief before he regained his composure.

"What the hell did you do to Agent Cruller?" Raz shouted as the man tested his jaw to see if it was broken. When he decided it wasn't he gave Raz a cool and dangerous look.

"Blew him to bits." He said. Insanity danced in his eyes. Raz looked horrified. He clenched his fists and glared at Kellen, who noticed the air around him getting considerably warmer. Kellen threw his hand out quickly and Raz's head exploded with pain.

Raz fell backwards against the table, fire exploding in his mind, in one moment his veins filled with ice. He collapsed against the wall, biting back a scream. Kellen approached him through a thick fog.

"It's a pity it has to be this way, Razputin…but you crossed the line one too many times."

"Go to hell." Raz said through clenched teeth. Kellen smiled. The world went gray…and the only things Raz could think about then was the pain…and how to make it stop. Kellen, still grinning touched the boys sweaty brow almost lovingly.

"Don't worry, Razputin. I'll give you the answers. Very soon all of the people responsible for this pain will be no more."

XXX

The website wouldn't let me upload so I had to use an old export chapter and cut and paste...let me know if anything went wrong with the chapter because of it.

I realize it's been a while and I apologize. I'll try to update sooner. I've been really busy with graduation and work. I'll also try to update Always the Same soon. I'm pretty free for the next three days so I'll get onto that.

Thanks for the reviews, as always. I hope you liked the chapter


	18. Rescue Mission

Chapter 18:

Rescue Mission

Lili hadn't set foot in Whispering Rock for four years. She hadn't wanted to. At thirteen she became eligible for more advanced training and never went back. Plus, after Raz went missing she couldn't go anywhere in the camp without thinking of him.

It wasn't as though she had to anyways. She was too young to be an instructor and even before Raz snuck into Whispering Rock in what Lili came to believe was the best summer of her entire life…even with Coach Oleander trying to take over the world and that Psycho dentist guy and the giant fish kidnapping her, she had already gotten all of the merit badges and had completed all of the courses. The only reason to return was to visit…and she secretly hated the place so much now, she couldn't bare to even think of setting foot in the campgrounds. But she had to now.

She stood outside its towering gates, staring up at the sign and recalling so many occasions where, as a child she walked through the fence into another dull never-ending summer. Sitting in classes that she already had completed, listening to speeches she had heard a million times and always being alone…not because people disliked her but because she didn't seem to fit with anyone.

Lili shook these thoughts from her head. Now was not the time to dwell over the past. So, with a set expression, she stepped through the gates. The first thing she noticed was that the power was down. As she walked through the gate the camera didn't follow her. It hung, dead on the post. She walked slowly through the parking lot, which was at this time completely empty and headed towards the second gate and peered at the hallowed out tree trunk. For a moment she lingered by it. The inside was charred. Deep down, the cart generally used to transport Ford from one area to another looked damaged.

Lili narrowed her eyes and headed quickly in the direction of the Lodge. It was noon and the sun was beating down heavily on her as she ascended the steps and pushed open the front door. She looked briefly across the room. Ford was not in the kitchen. This meant that either he had abandoned his psychic projections and was currently not in his sanctuary…or…that something else had happened.

Lili hurried back down the steps into the campgrounds and headed back towards the tree stump. When she arrived at it, without hesitation she hoisted herself over and landed on her feet in the darkness. She was overcome by the odor of burned out machinery and what might have been the smell of a huge bonfire. Since the car didn't work she hurried down the dark tunnel till she reached a place where the passageway cut off, and high above, the hole of another tree trunk was…entirely filled in. Cinders and ashes fell…she could see the flickering of flames. Lili watched it wide eyed for a moment before narrowing her eyes and mind blasting the rubbish blocking the entrance.

The hole opened and the tunnel below was showered with sparks. Now she could hear the fire raging. She tried to go near but the heat was too intolerable. She backed up, deciding that she would search the rest of the camp for agent Cruller before phoning in Sasha in Milla. She headed swiftly back towards a random trunk…it didn't matter which and levitated towards the opening.

Just as her gloved hands rapped around the edge of the trunk, a wrinkled thin hand closed around her wrist and pulled her up. Lili stumbled out of the tree trunk and blinked confusedly into Agent Cruller's face.

XXX

Ford's eyes lingered on the badge for a moment before looking back into the girls eyes. Then, all at once the two pictures came together.

"Lili?" He questioned, then without waiting for a response, spoke again. "I barely recognized you, you've gotten so much older!"

"Uh…yeah…you're alright?" Lili asked, taken slightly off guard.

"Barely, but listen, no time for that now. We got to go!" Ford said as he grabbed her wrist. "First we'd better get some supplies. I still have plenty of stuff in the school store." Lili, who was wondering if Ford had been away from the Psitanium for too long, pulled her arm from his grasp.

"What do you mean go? Where are we going?" Lili asked exasperatingly.

"Cerebral Soldiers base." Ford said as he stepped into the lodge and began gathering things from the shelf. Lili walked in after him and stood in the doorway watching him as though he had gone completely mad.

"Maybe you should find some psitanium..."

"No, no time for that. I'll be fine. we have to go now. Can't wait another minute!"

"You don't even know where the base is?" Lili said desperately, trying to find some solid ground in the face of this sudden madness.

"Nope…but I've been following Kellen's psychic signature since he left and I have a good idea where he is." He turned, and met her wary and doubtful gaze. Of course, she was seventeen now. She thought 'logically.' He had to be careful.

"Look, I know this sounds bonkers, but trust me, we gotta go now! We can't contact the Psychonauts because they'd do everything wrong! No offense." Lili's gaze evened out and shifted back to her normally world weary façade and she shrugged.

"Okay, why do we need to go to their base _right now_?" Lili asked. Ford relaxed. Questions like this were good. It meant she was taking him seriously now...or at least playing along.

"No time to explain. I'll tell you when we get there!" Ford said and tossed her something from a box where he kept all of things too advanced for young campers. Lili caught it and examined it thoughtfully.

"What good is that going to do?." She asked.

"Your right." Ford said as he brought out another strange looking device that looked vaguelly like tweezers from hell. "No time for that...I'll tell you when we get back!"

Lili raised her brow.

"Why am I going anyways?" Lili asked as Ford handed her a commincation device.

"Because your here and I can't go alone. Besides, even if it were Sasha or Milla instead, Sasha would just stand there and hit me with boring and logical facts and precautions and Milla would talk to me like I was some old man who's gone nuts!"

"Umm..." Lili started. Ford threw up a hand.

"Not a word!" he said quickly. "I know what I'm talking about."

She seemed to think for a moment, then shrugged.

"Fine...I'll go."

She said and he could see a flicker of excitement in her eyes. Even if these were just the delirious ramblings of a mad man, the day just got a whole lot more interesting. Perhaps Raz had rubbed off on her a little all those years ago.

Ford grabbed a few more things and then crossed over to her.

"So what kind of mission is this?" Lili asked evenly.

"A rescue mission." Ford answered. Lili raised her eyebrows as they both were overcome by the brief after images of teleportation.

XXX

Truman Zanotto was a tall man. He had sharp grayish green eyes and an impressive build. He didn't wear the traditional Psychonauts uniform. Instead, he wore a suit with brass buttons down the jacket. The suit was a slightly washed out green. On his breast he wore a silver psychonauts badge. He also wore patches of the same pattern on his right and left shoulders.

In front of him, his top agents watched him patiently. Behind him a floating screen dropped down and a map appeared along it's surface. To his left, Sasha was standing at attention. Truman picked up a marker and put Xs randomly along the surface of the map.

"These coordinates represent Psychonauts HQ and Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp." He said, his brow furled in concern. He cast a look at Sasha before sighing and putting a third mark on the screen.

"This is where we think Kellen is training children to become Cerebral Soldiers." He watched the mark for a moment then turned to his audience. "The location is in a small ghost town, abandones seven years ago, bought four years ago…it was blocked off after the new owner acquired it. It stays blocked off from the public in the guise of a test sight for dangerous materials." Truman set the marker down and folded his hands behind his back.

"We don't know how dangerous Kellen is…or his students. We assume that they offer a minor threat…but just to be cautious, I want to send a few talented agents over to check things out. If our information is correct, the Cerebral Soldiers mostly consist of children, ages 13 to 18, who have been misguided and do not have proper training. Hopefully, this is the extent of our problems."

XXX

Lili and Ford landed in the middle of what must have once been a town square. It was old and all of the buildings were boarded up. Lili looked around with narrowed eyes. Finally she looked at Ford, who was gazing off in concentration.

Ford turned and met her cynical gaze.

"I'm sure this is the right place." He said defensively and took a few steps foreword. Lili looked around. There was a huge electric fence around the town and she could see the backside of what was most surely warning signs.

Ford was touching his chin in concerted thought.

"Sure this is the right place…couldn't have taken a wrong turn." He muttered to himself. Suddenly his head snapped up in alarm as a powerful mind blast landed on the ground a few inches from both Ford and Lili. They stumbled to the side then turned towards the source.

Two teens stood behind them. Obviously stationed to keep watch on outside perimeters. One of them was a boy who couldn't be over the age of fifteen, the other a girl, who was clearly older, but not by much. The boy, whose head was mostly shaved, tossed an unattractive braided tail off of his shoulder and grinned at Ford and Lili.

The girl, who was wearing a revealing leather suit, which complimented her immense curves joined him. She sent another mind blast their way.

Lili and Ford jumped out of the way and then got in a typical fighting position.

"I think this is the right place." Lili said contemptuously.

Both young kids charged at them.

The teenage boy sent a mind blast at Ford, who didn't even bother to dodge since he missed by two feet anyway. The boy tried again and almost hit the other girl who was trying to burn Lili with pyrokinesis. When this failed he tried to punch Ford who caught him with telekinesis and held him upside down in front of him.

Lili went invisible, and the girl, confused, lost her hold. She was then pushed hard and tripped. Lili became visible again and dropped a confusion grenade on her. She looked at Ford.

"Kind of unprofessional aren't they?" She said as the girl started talking drunkenly about some guy who stood her up at a café once.

"Not surprising. Don't let your guard down though…just because these two are unskilled doesn't mean they all are." The boy, still floating in the air upside down glared at Ford.

"When Kellen hears you're here he'll take you apart, man." He said, his voice slightly squeaky…perhaps he was even younger then fifteen. His face was turning red. Ford dropped him. The boy stumbled then got up and tried to lunge at the older man again, who grabbed him by the arm and pinned him to the ground.

The boy complained and cursed angrily at Ford as he held him down. Ford was concentrating heavily on reading the boys mind, while keeping a fairly firm hold on him. The boy struggled and finally got free. He managed a few steps before the ground beneathe him was blasted. He fell forward and was overcome by Ford once more.

The girl came out of her haze as Lili watched Ford and the boy listlessly.

The girl fumbled at her waist and pulled out a tiny earpiece which she flipped on and stuck in her ear.

"Intruders Mr. Chitt!" She muttered quickly while Lili's attention was averted. Lili turned and kicked the girl on the side of her face, sending the ear piece to the ground beside her. She stepped on it heavily, but too late, the girl looked at her smugly. She sent another mind blast at Lili who shielded herself quickly against it, then threw another confusion grenade at her. The girl was overcome by it.

Lili turned to tell Ford they were found out, but, just as she was about to she felt a stinging sensation on the left side of her body and was sent to the ground where colors exploded in front of her eyes.

She vaguely saw Ford turn towards her when another blast was sent in her direction. This one she managed to roll away from. She quickly hoisted herself up and turned towards the direction of the fire. Ford was shielding himself against a mind blast. the boy, now free was crawling away from him quickly.

She saw a woman…the sort that put one in the mind of a cranky private school teacher and a man that put one in the mind of a drag queen. Behind them, several students, some of whom she recognized where watching hungrily. Clearly they had interrupted a class. Lili looked at Ford, who was now looking concerned.

Her attention fell once more on the drag queen as he spoke.

"Four years!" The man said in a prissy voice. "Four years we stay ofer here and not a word from thee psychonauts…and now theez is what we get…an old man and a child?" Some of the children laughed…although what the man said was not meant to be funny.

"Choo interrupted my lesson leetle psychonauts. Now we can have a new lesson. Cheeldren…whoever can capture the leetle psychonauts wont have to do thee obstacle course for three dais. And choo can be thee first ones to torture them." Some of the kids looked uneasy, but most grinned and stepped foreword eagerly.

The woman, who actually looked as though she might have grayish skin put a hand out and glared at the prissy man.

"No…we should tell Kellen." She said. Some of the kids behind her started to complain, but stopped immediately when she snapped a look at them. The man gave her an irritated look, but let up under her steely gaze.

"Ferry well." He said and brushed the kids backwards.

Lili and Ford were both standing at ready. Ford was regretting the whole thing…or at least the part where he involved Lili in his plans.

The prissy man pulled out a flashy cell phone and dialed a number. He caught Ford's eyes and quickly threw his hand out. Both Ford and Lili were thrown to the ground.

"Oh meester Chitt, some leetle psychonauts are here to see you. Only two. A leetle girl and an old man. They are currently on thee ground and no threat but we thought you might want to haff a look." He flipped the lid of the phone back in place and attached it once more to his waist.

Ford struggled to get back onto his feet. Beside him, Lili did the same.

After a moment the crowd began to open up as Kellen made his way through. Lili watched as he approached, tall and menacing. She was struck by a knowledge that froze her insides. Her body became ice as he walked nearer, smiling.

_Oh my god…_ she thought as he stopped in front of the prissy man and the gray woman. _It's him…he's the one from my dreams. _

XXX

Kellen looked from Lili to Ford smugly. His eyes froze on Ford and his smile faltered a little.

"Your alive?" He asked, his voice pleasant. "Pity…"

"I am, you scheming traitor. Now give me back the boy or I'll make sure it's not only your mind that's broken this time!"

Kellen chuckled.

"Should we take care of him boss?" Dragon said from behind him. "I haffen't burnt someone een ages."

Kellen motioned for him to back up.

"No…no it's all right Drake. Take your students back to the obstacle course and continue with lessons."

"But sir…"

"Just do it." Kellen said, not taking his eyes off of Ford. "They want the boy…I'll give them the boy."

XXX

I should be updating something else instead but I couldn't help it…I'll probably update this one again soon because I have a good idea what's going to happen in the next few chapters. I hope this one was ok. Thanx for the reviews my lovelies!


	19. Fighting Razputin

Chapter 19:

Fighting Razputin

Kellen grinned the grin of a madman and stepped backwards. Dragon turned heatedly away from Kellen, after casting Lili and Ford a cold look, Hag followed suit, while motioning for the other children to do the same. After a moment Kellen was the only one standing there, his hands folded behind his back.

"I'm warning you Kellen…!" Ford started. Kellen laughed. It sounded shrill in Fords ears and he shivered. The older man's lips were peeled back over his teeth as he threw his hand out.

Ford gave Lili a sideways look. She hadn't moved, her eyes were set coolly on Kellen's face.

Ford recognized the sign of teleportation as the space between Kellen and them hazed slightly then was filled with the brief images associated with traveling through the mental world. The images faded and the shape of a young man grew more thick and real.

The first thing a good Psychonaut did…or a smart one anyway when facing an opponent was to examine their surroundings and the behavior of the person they were facing. Ford always looked for signs. He looked for signs of weakness in the eyes and face and signs of emotion. He looked for signs of madness and signs of rage. He looked at composer, how an opponent carried himself or herself…and whether or not they spent any amount of time boasting or talking too much. It was a safe bet that if a man or woman wasted any time talking before a fight, that they were covering up for a key weakness…or sometimes, many key weaknesses.

What he got from examining this young man made him immediately uneasy. He knew who it was…but he didn't know what he was looking at. No emotion was evident, because there was not a single part of Raz that was not covered. At Whispering Rock he had looked much the same in the manner of concealment…but now it was more a matter of flash than anything else. A pair of goggles and a large gas mask concealed his face, his body was covered in a thick tight material, and his hands were in gloves. There was not a single piece of flesh evident…it almost gave the illusion of monstrosity.

In his stance he didn't see any trace of the pride, bravery or determination that once was abundant in Raz's character. What he did see was a body consumed by rage and pain and madness. The boys fingers didn't tremble so much as vibrate. Occasionally it looked as though a ripple of electricity surged through his body. He twitched and shivered violently on his feet. Ford had a feeling that even if he could see the boy's eyes there'd be nothing behind them. He wasn't thinking anymore. This wasn't mind control…this was something much crueler. Ford thought of the giant lungfish at the bottom of lake Oblongata and shuddered.

Kellen, still smiling, took a step forward and touched the boy's shoulder. Raz jerked as Kellen whispered something in his ear. His muscles tightened and then Kellen stepped away. His eyes met Ford's. They danced with insanity.

Ford turned once more to Lili, who hadn't moved but was beginning to look slightly uneasy.

"Be careful with this one, Lili." She nodded.

He turned back to Raz, just as the boy lunged forward.

XXX

It was a sensation not unlike falling out of bed in the middle of the night. For one spent the seconds after wondering how they had gotten on the floor and what floor…exactly they were on? In a second Lili made that connection…even before she knew what had happened.

The man…boy…whatever had rushed forward and Ford had sent an unswerving mind blast in his direction. It was on target but the boy had dodged it…except that wasn't the right word. What he had done was flip over it and then, even before hitting the ground he sent a retaliating mind blast at Ford, who had shielded it. It had bounced off the shield and hit Lili on the right side of her face.

She hoisted herself off the ground as quickly as she could just as the boy punched out at Ford. The older man had tried to dodge it but got part of the blow anyways. The Cerebral soldier reeled back his quivering hand again, preparing for another punch but was interrupted as Lili sent a mind blast between his shoulder blades. He jerked against the blast and turned quickly, throwing his hand out. Lili was picked up off of the ground and thrown several feet telekinetically. She landed on her back and the wind was knocked from her.

"Dam…mit." She said breathlessly.

XXX

Ford had witnessed as Lili was thrown to the ground. When she landed she didn't get up again. Ford tried desperately to sidetrack Raz long enough so that he could check on her, but thus far it hadn't gone well.

He threw a confusion grenade at the boy, and it hit…he knew it did, but Raz had cut through it like it was nothing. Currently he was blocking punch after punch. Whenever he got a shot in, Raz would dodge it. He may not be thinking…but his reflexes were as strong as ever. Finally Ford went invisible. He ducked out of the way of Raz's imperceptible fist and headed quickly towards Lili. He was halfway when a blast hit him in the back. The invisibility left him as he was thrown to the ground.

He hoisted himself up and watched Raz as he headed towards Ford again. He was moving slower this time. Ford got to his feet quickly and put his hand to his temple.

Raz threw his hand out and Ford was picked off the ground. He felt his body freeze in mid air and then rotate slowly until he was looking into Raz's face upside down.

"Listen, son…whatever he's told you it isn't true…" He felt the air around him grow warmer; sweat began to form on his forehead. "You have to get a hold of yourself!" Smoke began to flow off of his Psychonaut uniform. In front of him Raz stood still, giving off no sign that he had heard a single word Ford had said. Ford felt that tingling sensation associated with the instant before he would burst into flames and then nothing. He was dropped onto the ground.

He looked up. Lili was standing with her hand on her temple. On the other side of him, Raz was getting up off the ground. A large crack had appeared across his gas mask.

_Ahh…that's why the grenade didn't work. _

Ford reached towards the boy and grabbed at the mask desperately. Raz lunged forward and punched at Ford. Ford was sent backwards, still holding the mask. It snapped revealing the lower half of Raz's face. His lips were pulled back in a grimace of pain. Down one cheek a fresh cut glittered as blood trickled down his chin. He ignored it.

Raz put his hand to his temple, but was cut off even before Ford thought of putting up his shield. He was sent back by another mind blast. This one hit him in his side. He stumbled; tried to right himself but couldn't, the reason being that Lili was suddenly beside him.

She punched him, hard, in the nose. Ford heard it break and Raz was sent to the ground. A normal person in this situation would cry out in pain…or at least wipe the blood away…but since Raz was currently experiencing a greater pain in his head, he didn't. Instead, he stood back up and lunged at Lili.

Without hesitating she spun around and kicked him hard across the face. His goggles were knocked crooked and for a moment both Ford and Lili caught sight of his brilliant green eyes, bloodshot and confused as he fell backwards. Ford, who had seen Lili take a step forward after she kicked in case he got up again, now saw her recoil as if slapped.

Ford moved quickly, pulling out a confusion grenade and launching it at Raz, who's sharp mad eyes went cloudy as the smoke over took him. He cast a quick look at Lili and decided she wasn't going to be much help anymore. She was standing, frozen, staring at Raz incomprehensively. Ford turned towards Kellen. His smiled had faded. He seemed slightly alarmed. The game had changed…but he wasn't sure how yet.

Ford would have to move fast. He'd have one chance before Kellen would catch on. One chance. He turned towards Raz as the gas began to wear off. He was trying to stand up. Concentrating, Ford put his hand on his temple and faced Raz. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kellen walking towards them casually, his hands folded behind his back. Raz pulled himself up like a puppet on strings…as if he didn't even know he was doing it. Ford concentrated…counting off seconds. Then, just as Raz straightened Ford turned sharply and sent a powerful mind blast at Kellen.

Surprised, the man threw his hands up almost comically, trying to shield it. He was a second too late and the blast hit him in the forehead…right where the metal device was jutting from his head. He was thrown to the ground. Ford then twisted around and launched two confusion grenades at Raz, one after another. The first one he shielded, but the second consumed him. The boy swayed drunkenly. Ford grabbed Lili by the arm and grabbed Raz by the collar. Normally contact didn't have to be made in order to teleport someone…but this was a particular circumstance where Ford did not want to take any chances.

XXX

Kellen's head exploded with pain. For a moment he felt in danger of passing out. The feeling passed in an instant and he hoisted himself up as quickly as he could. He looked in Ford's direction furiously, to find, much to his increasing rage that the man appeared to be trying to teleport.

Kellen stood and sent a mind blast out blindly, through the apparent flashes in his eyes as a result of the broken psitanium in his head. The blast missed Ford by two feet, and now he could almost see the ghost town through the old Psychonaut. He sent another mind blast just as the three of them vanished. It passed through empty air, and hit a building across from Kellen. Part of the roof shattered and debris littered the streets.

Kellen cried out in rage. He reached up and touched the metal plate on his forehead. It broke into two pieces in his large hand. A few broken fragments of psitanium and a greenish bluish fountain of dust fell on the dirt in front of his eyes. A perfect drop of blood formed along the pinkish scar where the metal had been attached to his skull. A large piece still was…otherwise he would have been bleeding more.

Behind him, most likely responding to his scream, Dragon had rushed up.

"Sir?"

"Get me Agent 016." The man said, venom lacing his words.

"But…what about thee Psychonauts. Did they escape?"

"Why are you still standing there? I told you to get Jeremiah dammit!" Dragon recoiled and without saying another word rushed off towards the school. Kellen picked himself up. He couldn't follow them…that wasn't true…he could…he could easily. But he wouldn't follow them. Not yet. He was insane…not stupid. Without his psitanium he didn't have a way into Raz's head. Without a way into Raz's head…he couldn't keep the boy from going after him as well as Ford and that little brat the man had brought with him. The pain would be there, but Kellen's thoughts wouldn't. He'd be like a beast with a thorn in it's paw or a bull with a rod in it's backside. He wouldn't care who he was attacking as long as someone paid for the pain.

If Kellen was lucky the boy would finish both Ford and the girl off before Kellen's plate was reinstalled. Then all he would have to do is collect Razputin. He turned back to the school just as Jeremiah emerged, looking nervous.

XXX

They landed in the parking lot. Ford had been trying for the forest. He had missed. When he was sure they had at least landed in Whispering Rock he let both Lili and Raz go. Lili swerved but remained standing. Raz fell to the pavement.

Ford looked around him desperately and finally found a large rock resting by one of the yellow lines marking a parking place. He picked it up and tested it in his palm for weight. When he looked up Lili was staring at him…no…she was staring past him. By the look of it, she had shut down temporarily. Ford would have to worry about that later.

He stepped over Raz and watched him closely. The boy rolled over as the second grenade wore off, caught sight of Ford and lunged forward letting out a growl of rage as he did. Ford's hand moved fast as he hit Raz over the head with the rock. The boy's eyes dimmed and he fell backwards again, unconscious.

Ford tossed the rock aside and grabbed Raz's arms, pulling them upward so he could get a secure hold of the boy under his shoulders. He hoisted him up and then looked at Lili, who was still staring forward blankly. Well, it was worth a try.

"Think you could get his legs?" He asked, not really expecting a response. However, she turned her head and moved automatically, grabbing Raz's legs and helping Ford lift him of the ground.

"We're heading towards Sasha's lab." Ford said. He didn't think she heard him. She just followed as he led. He wondered briefly when she would snap out of it, and hoped it'd be soon. It was obviously some sort of shock she was experiencing. He wasn't sure. He hoped Raz wouldn't wake up again before they reached their destination.

XXX

Ford opened the door in the GPC and after securing Raz once more, made his way down the stairs. Lili followed groggily. Vaguely, Ford wondered why Sasha HAD to have the complicated stairs he did. Several times he almost fell, including one time where he almost tripped over a box that Sasha had set on the stairs, he managed, however, to right himself, and finally reached the bottom.

He looked around briefly then motioned towards a table that, to Ford looked as though it may have been borrowed from an insane asylum. It was white and on each corner was a leather strap, similar to that of the ones seen on straight jackets.

Lili and Ford hoisted Raz up onto it. Lili took a few steps back as Ford began to go around the table and bound Raz's hands and legs via the straps. The last one he tied around Raz's midsection.

Ford pulled the goggles the rest way off the boy's head and removed his cap. For a moment he eyed the boy. Aside from the damage done to his face he looked a lot like he did the last time Ford saw him…except older…he looked so much older. It had only been four years but sometimes that was a lot.

Ford looked up at Lili to say something but the words died in his throat. She had gone very pale. He lunged forward quickly and managed to catch her as she crumpled to the ground. He sighed and hoisted her upward. Sasha didn't have much in the way of beds…or even comfortable chairs in his lab, so Ford laid her down gently on the one thing he did have in abundance, which was boxes. Perhaps this was better for her anyway. Maybe this meant she had finally come out of her initial shock.

He went over to Sasha's desk and began to search through everything he had inside for something that would be useful. Normally he'd be able to find everything he needed in his own lab…but since it was a charred hole in the earth now, he would have to work with what Sasha had.

He found one of the ugly caps used to reduce psychic activity and, without thinking, put it on for easy carrying. He then went back to searching through the drawers. When he headed back to Raz he was carrying one or two unpleasant looking objects, tweezers and a small paper cup.

He pulled the hat off and placed it on Raz, covering his claret hair. He also pulled out a large needle, and after searching briefly through the different medicines Sasha carried, pulled one out and filled the shot to the brim with it.

"This won't hurt a bit." He said to the sleeping room and put the needle up to Raz's shoulder. He filled the boys vein with the hypnotic drug, and then after filling it again applied a paralytic to the same vein. He couldn't afford to have the boy waking or moving…particularly if he was in the state he was in. Kellen had ensured a sort of temporary insanity…and even if his psychic abilities were deterred, it was common knowledge that an insane person at some times had alarming strength.

Before he did anything else he grabbed a can of disinfectant and a wet cloth and cleaned up the boy's face. The bruise along his cheek wasn't bad, but there was no doubt his nose was broken. He fixed it up as best as he could and then laid the bloody cloth aside.

Ford then moved the psychic cap aside until a scar winding from the boys eyebrow to his hairline became visible. It wasn't so much a mark anymore as it was an ugly contusion. It bulged outward like a vein and had become the sort of scar that would lessen with time but would never fade.

Ford pulled out a small surgical knife, and after rinsing it in alcohol (Although he figured he could count on Sasha for cleanliness…as long as it didn't apply to the state of his laboratory.) he cut along the scar, splitting it open easily. Perfect drops of blood bloomed from the cut. Ford wiped it away absently and picked up a pair of forceps that would have made anyone cringe away and swear off tweezers for the rest of their lives. He also pulled out a tiny tool that resembled the dousing rod he sold in the camp store. He placed it against Raz's forehead.

He was slightly dismayed, but not at all surprised at the reading he got. He set it aside, and with a scalpel and forceps began to dig into the incision he made and pull out tiny pieces of psitanium.

XXX

I was going to go further…but not by much…and this is probably a better place to end this chapter anyways. I have to work on other stories now. My next Psychonauts update will be Always the Same. Unfortunately I have a few stories I have to work on that I don't want to first. Because of my lack of enthusiasm it may take a bit longer then it usually does for the stories I LIKE to update (Like this one and Always the Same) Still, after tomorrow and Tuesday I have most of the week off from work and no plans so I'll try to get through the stories I don't want to update and get back to Always the same as quickly as I can.

Thanks for the reviews. I hope you enjoy the chapter.


	20. A Clear Mind

Chapter 20:

A Clear Mind

Almost three hours later Ford set the sharp tweezers aside and removed the pair of rubber gloves he had pulled over his skinny hands. He picked up the tiny dowsing rod and placed it next to Raz's cut. There was still a faint reading…but it would have to do. Raz would have to have surgery to remove the remaining Psitanium at a later date. As it was, Ford hoped that what he had managed to get out would be enough for now.

Ford stitched up Raz to the best of his ability and then pulled a bundle of bandages out of Sasha's drawer and began to wrap up his head. The boy had remained motionless throughout the operation. He was silent even now.

Ford cast a quick look over towards the boxes where he had placed Lili three hours earlier. She was gone. He looked around the room briefly as though expecting her to be standing somewhere. Obviously she had awakened earlier and had quietly crept out. Perhaps he'd better leave her alone for now.

Ford's brain swam a little. It had been a long day…and too long away from his beloved psitanium.

He pulled a chair up and sat down with a sigh. His joints creaked as he sat. It was a pain to be old. For a few moments he watched Raz sleep, a red bead forming on the bandages above his eye. Then the world began to dim and he was in another place at a different time.

XXX

_The young Ford Cruller was standing in an office in Psychonauts HQ. He could not remember how he had gotten there, nor could he recall his exact position in the large building. He took a few steps forward and leaned over to gaze at the contents of the desk. It was neat in a cluttered sort of way. A cup of ice-cold coffee sat neglected on the surface. There were files…he tried to read them…but did not get the chance. _

_"Ford, I'm glad you came. I want to show you something." Ford turned. Standing behind him was a handsome young man. His hair was long and tied in pony tail which hung down his back. He was wearing a Psychonauts uniform. _

_"Kellen?" Ford questioned. He raised his hand, and for a moment thought that he was going to blast this apparition. This thought gave him satisfaction. Instead, he cast a quick look at a watch on his wrist. "It's early…what could possibly be so important that…" _

_"Not here…follow me." The man swept out of the room. Ford's legs began moving without him telling them to. He followed after the man helplessly. All the while Kellen was talking. Going on about something. It sounded like humming to Ford…he couldn't make anything out of it. _

_Finally Kellen stopped in front of a door. Ford recognized it as Sasha's office…but no…it wouldn't be yet. Back then it was just an open lab, it's use permissible to anyone… Kellen opened the door and after ensuring that there was no one inside, he motioned for Ford to join him. _

_He flipped the switch and the lights flickered a bit. They always did that…something in the wiring. Sasha complained about it even now. Or he would…in the future…or something. _

_Kellen moved over to a table where a strange machine that Ford had never laid eyes on before glowed with menace. _

_"What is that thing?" _

_"It used to be something they used to remove a person's cerebral capabilities as punishment for particularly heinous crimes. A kind of death…for the mind. I've modified it though." He picked it up and pointed it at Ford who took a step back. Without warning Kellen pulled the trigger and Ford was bathed in greenish bluish purplish light. Ford stumbled and fell. _

_Kellen set the weapon down and walked towards Ford who was hoisting himself off the floor. _

_"What the hell do you think your doing?" Ford shouted as he examined himself critically. _

_"Relax, my friend." Kellen said, smiling. He set a hand on Ford's shoulder. "It no longer has the facilities to shatter your mind. I've adapted it so as to use it for other purposes. Come on, I want to show you something else." Ford followed him numbly. His body was still tingling from the blast. It didn't feel threatening, however…it felt…good…almost enlivening. _

_"This is it." Kellen said as he entered a code into a panel that was hanging next to another door. This one went to a room that the Psychonauts had sealed…were going to seal in the near future. No one knew it was there anymore because it had been built over. But it had once been another lab…a more private one. Ford himself had never been inside…not because he wasn't allowed…but because as a top psychonaut…he had his own materials to work with and therefore did not require the use of public laboratories. _

_Kellen stepped aside…smiling as Ford stepped in, slack jawed. Machinery furnished the room wall to wall. All around him was that same mysterious glow that had encompassed the weapon Kellen had used on him moments before. _

_"Psitanium." Ford whispered. "Your using Psitanium? It's highly unstable!" Kellen's smile faded a little. _

_"God, Ford…your always such a stiff. LOOK around you." He touched a nearby machine. "With this stuff we could become ten times more powerful. Imagine it. No one could stop us." He smiled and turned, his eyes hungry…and even then…slightly mad. _

_Ford crossed his arms and looked at the machinery with disapproval. _

_"Are you authorized to be testing these materials Kellen?" Ford said as he examined a strange liquid bubbling on a nearby counter. Kellen suddenly looked angry. _

_"Is that all you have to say? Do you know what I can do with this stuff? The Psychonauts…" _

_"The Psychonauts would never approve of such a thing." Ford finished. He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry Kellen…but you can't be sure that this will even work. It's too dangerous." _

_"It already does work." Kellen said bitterly. "That weapon I just fired at you…it was loaded with a concentrated substance. In one instant I've revitalized the amount of psychic energy in you…that would normally take a month to restore. And that is just the beginning!" Ford frowned. _

_"I'm sorry Kellen…but I have to stop this now. It's far too unsafe." He turned his back on Kellen, who looked horrified and headed back towards his office. _

_"Ford!" Kellen called after him. _

_"Ford." Ford opened his eyes…he was in another place…one minute walking towards Bob Zanotto's office…now he was in another room, a different one, with the same type of machines. It must've been almost a year…a year passing in a couple of seconds. Kellen was standing before him. He was no longer wearing his uniform. His hair was in disarray. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days. "My friend."_

_"I don't have anything to say to you Kellen. The Psychonauts will be here any minute. We all know it was you…Bob wants you arrested immediately. You'll go to prison…"_

_"Ha! The Psychonauts." Kellen smiled and flipped a couple switches. "They can do nothing to me. I am finished with the Psychonauts. Now friend…before I kill you…" He raised his hand. "I'll give you a chance. Join me…turn your back on the Psychonauts. They cannot give you the power that I can give you."_

_Ford straightened. His face was unyielding._

_"You don't have any power Kellen…all you have is a dangerous weapon that you don't know how to use properly." Ford got into a traditional pose for Psychic activity and watched his partner carefully. Kellen laughed softly._

_"Very well then. The Psychonaut's greatest agent will be added to the list of bereavements that I have already created." Ford didn't want to watch this. He lived it once. In the end Kellen had been foolish. He had forgotten how delicate the equipment around him was. Ford hadn't gotten where he was in those days by being a victim. He managed to get loose. The Psychonauts didn't arrive on time…but Ford was determined to stop Kellen anyway. They had fought. He should have remembered then…he should have taken it elsewhere. The explosion had been huge…Ford couldn't recall how huge…nor could he remember anything that happened after…_

_He turned his mind off and looked away._

XXX

He's doing it again. Damn him. The pain…

Raz slowly came out of his doze. He knew not to open his eyes too quickly…they would be sensitive. They were always sensitive after Kellen operated on him. He kept them shut tightly and tried to relax. It was hard…his forehead felt as though it were about to split wide open. He tried to move his hand to touch it…perhaps at least to see what damage had been done this time, but his hand wouldn't budge.

He tried again, his muscles tightening from the effort, but something was preventing him from lifting his arm off of the hard surface he was laying upon. He tried to move the other arm and found it was the same way.

Come to think of it…he could feel whatever was binding him to the table. A strap of some sort…Kellen hadn't used straps in ages…after Raz had gotten free from them a couple times…generally he just held him down mentally until he obtained the chance to gas him.

Raz could feel them on his ankles too. To test this he tried to lift a leg…and…as was expected was not able to. He lay still for a moment and thought about this. Finally, he opened his eyes a little. The bright light that usually beamed on him in Kellen's lab was absent. All he could see was a faint mechanized glow around him. He didn't know where he was.

As this thought surfaced others did. He realized that the sound in the room was all wrong. Normally, in Kellen's lab he'd hear either the faint muttering of Kellen himself…or…at least the muffled sounds of students beyond the walls. All he heard was the gentle buzz of machinery and a faint snoring coming from one side of him. Beyond even that came the sound of crickets…a sound so out of place that Raz struggled to at least lift his head to get a better idea of where he was. It did him little good. His head was strapped down too. Raz sighed and laid back.

Know what else? It was a voice that came from inside of him somewhere. The part of Raz's mind that was paying attention to…well…Raz's mind…and body…rather then what was going on outside of it. Everything feels different…clearer almost…

My head still hurts…but I can't hear him…its not as bad somehow.

Raz's brow creased.

'What happened?' He thought to himself…as he began to gain enough consciousness to be concerned about his whereabouts.

'Let's see…last thing I remember…I met with Stephen…and then he got caught…so I rushed back to where he was…but…the camp…explosion…and then Kellen transported me back to his office…and he was hurting me…and now…I'm here...strapped to a table, with a throbbing head…and I'm pretty sure my nose is broken…but I don't know why. What the hell?

There was a particularly loud snore from his right. It made Raz jump a little. He sighed and tried to focus on the straps confining him to the hard bed. They began to smoke a little and Raz felt the hair on his wrists singe slightly. When he couldn't stand the heat any longer he yanked both of his wrists up suddenly and the strap around his left wrist ripped satisfyingly. The right one did not…but it didn't make much of a difference. Raz reached up and pulled the psychic cap off of his head, holding it above his vision and turning it about to examine it.

_This is an even worse design then Jeremiah's anti extrasensory band._ He threw it aside and began to work on the strap around his other hand. It gave way easily enough as it was already smoldering a bit. He then did a quick mind blast…which may have been a bit of a mistake…as he wasn't sure where he was…but was the quickest way to get the strap off of his head. Sure enough it split easily. Pieces of it flew off in different directions. It was at this point that Ford woke up.

XXX

He practically jumped off of the chair when the mind blast was issued. It hit the ceiling, which was thankfully protected and bounced off. Ford dodged the reflected blast, missing it by an inch as it shattered the chair he had been sitting on. When he stood, he saw Raz hoisting himself to a sitting position. Ford prepared to attack.

The boy got up onto his elbows, cringing slightly and then slowly sat up all the way. He then looked up wearily and met Ford's eyes. When he did, an almost comical look of surprise crossed his face. His eyes, which no longer held the bizarre glaze they had when he had been battling Ford and Lili hours before, widened considerably. Ford relaxed a little…but only a little.

"You all right, son?" Ford asked warily, still in a defensive position. Raz just stared. After what felt like hours he blinked.

"Agent Cruller?" He asked in disbelief. Ford straightened and gave him a relieved smile.

"Good…thought I'd have to give you another black eye for a second there…sorry about that, by the way." Raz reached up and touched his eye. He winced a little, but forgot about it almost immediately.

"What…what's going on? Where am I? Where's Kellen?" Raz asked. He looked around and answered at least one of his own questions. He recognized Sasha's lab.

"Calm down now, Razputin. You've just undergone a very sensitive operation under the care of a very amateur doctor. I suggest that we get you to a cabin and you get some rest before we get into details." With that Ford began to untie Raz's ankles.

"I'll get these…I don't think Sasha would like you blasting up his lab."

"Sorry about that." Raz said…still watching Ford with disbelief.

"Uh…sir?" Ford looked up as he got done untying one of Raz's ankles.

"Hmm?"

"Your…all right?" Ford raised his brow.

"Your sanctuary…Kellen…"

"Oh…that. Yeah…it's gone." Ford shook his head sadly. "I got out all right though." Raz acquired, for a moment, a far off expression.

"Glad your okay…" He said as Ford offered him his hand. Raz attempted to stand but his legs rebelled. He balanced himself on the table as Ford pulled Raz's arm around his shoulder for support. When he was sure he wouldn't fall he began to slowly move forward.

The stairs were a bit of a chore, but after a few failed attempts they managed up all of them at once. Ford pushed open the door to the campgrounds and they emerged into the cool spring air. The sound of crickets and a nearby roar filled the air. Raz looked to the side to confirm that that annoying bear was still standing outside the fence looking stupid and angry. After a few minutes, hedecided he had to break the silence. Nothing made sense from where he was standing, er…leaning…and sort of limping…and falling anyway. And things were starting to add up in ways he didn't like very much…now that he was thinking clearly.

"Agent Cruller?"

"Hmm?"

"Er…was it bad?" There was silence.

"Later, son." Raz sighed.

"Hey, I'm not ten anymore…you can't treat me like a kid. My eye stings…twelve hours of my life just disappeared…maybe more…and I'm pretty sure you broke my nose."

"Actually…" Ford said carefully. "That was Lili…I think she kicked you in the face." There was another one of those lengthy silences.

"…Lili?" Raz asked, his voice shaking as little. Ford sighed.

"Look…I'd rather you be rested…and able to stand on your own…although…I'm pretty sure you've been walking around on a broken leg for the last twelve hours…"

"I think it's a sprain…"

"Well…it's broken now…so I guess you wont be standing…but I'd still like you to get some sleep. I think we all need a good night's sleep before we get into details…okay?"

Raz grumbled. Ford took it as a yes.

"I will reassure you of something though." Raz's green eyes swiveled sideways.

"You definitely got the worst beating out of the three of us."

"That's supposed to reassure me?"

"I would think so." Raz grew silent. His eyes glazed a little. This time it wasn't because of the medicine or the psitanium.

They reached the cabins and Raz was helped into one of the too small bunks, where he laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. Ford patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll forgive you." With that Ford left the cabin.

XXX

Lili was soaking her feet in Lake Oblongata and staring at the distant shore, where the now demolished Thorney Towers once stood. She fingered Raz's goggles absently and moved her feet through the water without thought.

She felt…strange. It was indescribable. The dominant feeling was confusion…but it was beginning to diminish. She also felt anger and pain…but she mostly chose to ignore these feelings out of habit. Other then that many other emotions were trying to make themselves noticeable. She tried to focus on the water…she didn't want to think about it now…she didn't know WHAT to think about it right now.

"That lungfish is still down there you know." Lili didn't respond to Ford, but pulled her feet out of the water ever so slightly. The old Psychonaut walked up beside her and sat down.

"I could make us some burgers if you're hungry." Lili let out a single humorless chuckle.

"No thanks I think I'd like to eat again before next month." Ford nodded.

"You all right?" He asked awkwardly. He had never had much of a relationship with Lili. Although…he suspected that not too many people would feel comfortable addressing her about her emotions, many of them terrified.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She answered and tossed a stone into the water. It wouldn't have bounced by itself…but Psychics don't need to be able to throw things very far. It skipped down the water, looking as though it wouldn't ever stop.

"He was being hypnotized you know…controlled…in a nasty way." Lili didn't say anything.

"I fixed him up…for the most part…so…" Ford stood up, his joints cracked. "If you'd like to talk to him…tomorrow…after you both get some rest…he wont be frothing at the mouth or anything." He turned and walked back towards the beach.

Lili sat there by herself for five or ten minutes after Ford left. It began to rain softly. It created rings on the lakebed. She could still hear the crickets and the various sounds that she associated with Whispering Rock through the gentle shower.

After a while, she wiped the tears from her eyes and headed for the tiny shed on the beach.

XXX

I know, I know…I should be shot. It's been too long. I could tell you to expect these updates to quicken from now on…but I'd be lying a little I think. I'll try…but college is a lot busier then High school ever was. I have to put aside basically all of my free time for my homework…plus I'm working.

Still, I'll update as frequently as I can and I PROMISE that I will finish this story, as well as Always the Same. (1 chapter I think…yup…think so…not for this one…I don't know how many are left in this one yet…a lot more then one ne ways) I'll TRY to get another chapter up soon. It's a three-day weekend…so I'll have some free time. Then…well…we'll play it by ear.

I'm sorry. Thank you to all of those who still review this. You are wonderful. I'll try not to make you wait too much longer then you should have to.


	21. Raz and Lili Meet

Ok…quick recount before I start apologizing once more. Since Chapter Thirteen the numbers of certain agents have changed. (This isn't terribly important so skip it if you must.)

Agent 2 is now Andrea Chilli

Agent 3 is Vesta Mux

Agent 4 hasn't changed.

Drake Cadmus is now Agent 5.

Most of you don't care…but I forgot that Drake switched with another agent and therefore had been calling him Agent 3 throughout this chapter until I checked back. If you didn't already know all of this…there it is! Wee.

Now onto business…I'm SO sorry this has taken so dreadfully long. I have college and work and a boyfriend…I've been sick lately…I have homework ALWAYS…and it's very hard to want to be artistic in my spare time when I'm spending pretty much all of the rest of my time HAVING to be artistic. (Oh right…I go to an art college…hehe…didn't make sense without that bit of information)

Still, no excuse. This chapter has been done mostly in those few hours of my spare time before work and school. Once I get a laptop (If I ever get a laptop…gas and food prices are killing me…not to mention coffee…which is an expensive addiction) I'll be able to write during my lunch hour in between classes. Until then I need to start managing my time more wisely. Ne ways…here you are…I hope it isn't disappointing in any way.

XXX

Chapter 21:

Raz and Lili Meet

He hated it when he had to be in close proximity of the mad man. It came more often for him then it would have if he weren't so good with _things_. Even as a young child he had been good at fixing things and making things. It had been a special talent. Not the most unusual of his talents of course. His father had been proud of him for _this_ talent. His other talent had frightened his family.

Long story short, he was now an orphan…and had been for six years now. His father had committed suicide when he was seven. His mother, who had been frightened of him, sent him to a distant relative for a couple months to gather her thoughts…after a year or so, when it became clear that she was not returning, said relatives sent him to an orphanage. He'd burned it down…

Now he made things for a mad man. He wondered if coming here had been a good idea. News had traveled. On the streets, he'd heard of the place where psychics could go. The Psychonauts had never been an option. He was not a very good person…he knew that. He wasn't as stupid or selfish as some of the others that attended the facility…but he didn't have the record to be a government agent.

Sometimes, late at night, when it didn't feel as though the ever wandering eyes were watching he had kept Tank company on the obstacle course. They talked about things that no one dared to talk about during regular hours. He liked Tank. On nights like those he could almost see himself washing his hands of this wretched place…walking off and finding something more meaningful to do with his skills. Those feelings would fade by morning though, and the courage would wash out of him.

He made a few last minute adjustments to the plate and walked slowly towards Kellen, cradling it in his hand delicately. He picked a device off the table beside the mad man and held the plate up. Kellen had his eyes closed…and for a moment Jeremiah wondered if he was asleep. When he put the plate to the man's head however, his eyes fluttered open. He didn't look at Jeremiah, but instead gazed at the ceiling.

Jeremiah got the device in place and began the process of welding it back into Kellen's skull. It was a fairly easy task for him. His hands moved quickly and assuredly. When he was finished he set his tool down and took a step back.

"It is reinstalled, Sir." Kellen blinked and his eyes swiveled towards the young man.

"Good." He sat up and swung his legs over the table. "Go and get some rest Agent 016. You will need it for the morning."

"Sir?"

"Agent 4 has been captured by the enemy. Me and Agent 2 will have to retrieve him; therefore…you will be leading the morning activities. If you do well, there's a promotion in it for you."

"Er…what about general Cadmus?"

"He has other things he must do. Now give me my coat…I left it over there by the heater." Jeremiah, looking slightly bewildered grabbed Kellen's coat and handed it over to him. It was an odd thing in spring but Jeremiah imagined it was mostly for show, that…or perhaps Kellen wore it because, in his old age, he found he needed it even in the spring. The older man grabbed the coat and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Hand me one of those guns," He said, as he pointed to one of the weapons that he took the last time he went to Whispering Rock. Jeremiah removed one from his worktable and handed it over. The older man stuck it in his belt after making sure the safety was on and stood.

"When I return I want you to have made several more of these. We'll need them soon." Jeremiah nodded.

"Yes sir." Kellen left the room. Once he was gone, Jeremiah relaxed. He put on a pair of safety glasses and got to work on the weaponry, wondering vaguely about what had happened to Tank.

XXX

Raz awoke to birds chirping and a far off bear being irate and excruciating pain that had somehow gotten much worse over night. He winced as he sat up and then tried to stand. A sharp pain traveled from his foot to his ankle and up through his knee. He fell backwards onto the bed again.

Raz examined his leg. Yep…it was broken all right. In fact…it was turning blue.

He frowned and tried to stand again, this time putting weight on only one leg and managed it…now all he needed to do was figure out how to get to the door. He tried to walk but it was too painful. It was as though all of the energy had gone out of his broken leg and had been replaced with pain. He sighed and began to limp unceremoniously towards the door. Raz winced in pain as he put a hand to the wall of the cabin and stared wearily at the long path ahead of him.

XXX

Lili was sitting at one of the long wooden tables in the Main lodge, staring up at where Quentin and Phoebe's instruments used to be and picking listlessly at two eggs swimming in bacon grease on her plate. Every couple of minutes she would yawn hugely, partly out of her rising tension at the thought of seeing Raz again and partly because she had barely slept at all the night before. Her stomach felt a bit queasy and currently breakfast was looking less and less attractive to her, although, she wasn't too sure that it would have looked very attractive under any other circumstances either. She wasn't entirely sure where Agent Cruller had gotten the eggs, and the amount of grease was beginning to alarm her.

Ford had excused himself forty minutes earlier, looking a little tired and confused. He had gone underground in search of a piece of psitanium large enough to carry around with him, so that he might not start to lapse into one of his other personalities until things could be straightened out. Lili had asked him if he thought she should try to contact Sasha, in case the German man was beginning to grow concerned at her lack of presence, but Ford had dismissed this idea.

'We'd better go see him personally and in private' he had said, choosing his words carefully, for Lili suspected, her own behalf. 'That way when we reveal our new found information, he wont make a scene in front of Truman.'

Finally, Lili took her plate over to the small kitchen area and dumped the contents into a scummy looking sink. Afterwards, she left the lodge and headed towards the beach. It was a little chilly and the sky had gone an ashy gray color. She felt her spirits drop a little as she headed to the dock and stood at the edge, looking at the water. It had been raining a lot lately. It was beginning to affect her mood.

She sat and then half laid on the dock with her head rested on her arm. Her claret hair flooded over her forearm. The water slapped against the beach and the edge of the dock. It made a lazy sound. She fell in and out in a light doze, imagining that she was hearing voices that weren't there.

_I should get up_ she thought, but felt as though she couldn't find the strength, or didn't want to…or something.

XXX

Raz limped to the main lodge first, looking for Agent Cruller and dreading the moment when he would see Lili…but in a different sort of way then, say, he dreaded to see Kellen again. This sort of dread was made up of nerves and excitement and fear and shame. He could avoid her and that would make things so much easier…but if he didn't see her he knew it would leave him miserable. Agent Cruller hadn't been there and neither had Lili. Looking at the place for the first time in six years made Raz's heart ache a little. It wasn't the same without the bursts of music and then brief arguments between Quentin and Phoebe as they debated who had lost the rhythm before whom and what the hell the other had thought they were playing.

Raz smiled fondly and then limped back out again. He winced as he made his way down the steps. When he reached the bottom he leaned against the wall and looked around carefully…deciding where he would head off to next. A thin layer of sweat had coated his forehead despite the cool breeze due to the weight being put on his broken leg. He wiped it away absently and headed slowly towards the beach. It seemed as good a place as any to look for the older Psychonaut…and it was nearby.

He took the long wooden staircase that slowly dissipated into the beach sand carefully, though there were not so many stairs. With grim amusement he recalled a time when he would not have bothered with them, but rather woiuld have slid down the banister, balancing on it as though it were a tightrope or a beam. Just the thought made his bad leg scream in agony.

Even before he reached the bottom of the stairway he was aware that he wasn't alone on the beach. His eyes fell on the still figure lying on the dock. At first, during his descent, he had mistook it for something that had perhaps blown in the night before or during a previous storm…something from the small wooden structure where the canoes were kept. Now, as his heart jumped into his throat, he realized that he had been wrong.

There was one instant when he thought of climbing the stairs again. Before he could entertain that idea however, he realized that he had already begun approaching the figure cautiously.

Lili appeared to be sleeping on the dock, which struck Raz as a bit odd. She was laying in a near fetal position, with her head resting on her arm, which stood out brightly against the weathered wood.

When Raz reached where the sand kissed the dock he paused. From here he could tell she was beautiful. Her hair, the same shade of reddish purple was shorter, just barely brushing against her shoulders. She had grown a lot. He had thought that she was cute when they were twelve. But now, looking at her, he felt his legs melt underneath him.

As he moved closer a fat drop of rain splattered against his neck, startling him and making him shiver. Around him, drops began to fall. One landed on Lili's left eye and accumulated on her eye lash. Her lids fluttered open and her eyes met with Raz's.

XXX

She had thought she was dreaming. But then, in her dreams he wouldn't have looked so horrible. In the instant before she would sit up harshly and find something sharp and perhaps a little heated to say, not only to break up the moment, but to cover up her own helplessness at seeing him standing there, staring at her, her eyes took him in fully.

She had seen him the night before, but in the madness he had been almost unrecognizable. It was his eyes mostly that had changed. They had been foggy and confused the night before. Now, in the gray morning they were bright and burned with the sort of fire she had come to associate with the determined boy she had met several years before. Unfortunately, his eyes were all that looked lively now.

He was standing carefully on one leg and both of his eyes were black. She suspected this had something to do with the fact that she had broken his nose. A bandage was rapped around his head, above which his bright reddish brown hair protruded. But even through all of this, his eyes burned beautifully.

Finally, she regained herself, and sat up, her heart pounding and her palms sweaty.

"Have you come for another beating, or were you just trying to get a few free shots in before I woke up?" She saw the shock on his face before it smoothed over and became pain. She tried to push away her own feeling of shame and hurt but only managed to move it from her heart to her throat, where it became a painful and emotional lump.

Anyone else but Raz would have taken that comment to heart and would have a) either been startled to silence or b) would have walked away and avoided her for at least the rest of the day. Instead he took a few wobbly steps towards her. It was at this moment that Lili recalled how persistent he had been as a kid and how fearless. He had always been able to shake off what was said to him, or in her case, see through it…to the underlying words. In those days it drove her crazy…but it was also one of the reasons she had loved him so much.

"Look, I'm so sorry." Lili felt as though she were suddenly hit with a ton of bricks. His voice was the same and yet, so different. It was so much deeper! "I swear, if I had had any control over myself…"

"It's fine." She said, playing at her next defense mechanism, which was disinterest. This came after sarcastic cynicism and before mindless anger. "I've already heard about it from Agent Cruller." She said in a voice that was too mild to be real.

She stood up and made to brush past Raz without interest. She half feared that he would stop her. It was what he would have done four years before. He _knew_ her routine. When he did not however, instead of relief she felt disappointment and sadness wash over her. She willed herself to keep walking…just keep walking until she reached the cabins. Then she could lay down…and probably burst into tears. Instead she turned and met his eyes again. She saw a mixture of concern and sorrow in them.

Lili swallowed hard and did the only thing that made sense to her in that moment of confused emotions. She walked back over to him and hit him in the jaw as hard as she could.

XXX

There was a loud crack and Raz's eyes widened as he grabbed the side of the dock to keep from falling into the water. Colors exploded in front of him and he tasted blood where his cheek had met his teeth unpleasantly. He reached up and touched his jaw. When he looked up into her eyes again, he saw that she was watching him coolly. In that moment, he thought he might actually take Kellen's rage over hers. 'Hell hath no fury like a women's scorn' Who had said that again?

"You…idiot." She said in a low but angry voice. "Four years? Everyone thought you were dead! Four DAMN years!" She paused, tears stinging her eyes now. "I don't give a damn about last night. Four years and you couldn't contact someone? Do…you have any…idea what you put us through? W-what you p-p-put me through?" She was crying now and it annoyed her. She wanted to yell at him some more. She wanted to tell him about the dreams that had left her feeling empty and heartbroken and how she hadn't been able to get into any other relationship because she couldn't seem to see anyone else as she saw him. She wanted to. Instead, she cried like an idiot in front of him.

He approached her hesitantly, perhaps worried that she would try to hit him again. Finally he gathered the courage to put his arms around her, to comfort her in some way, she practically fell against him and buried her face in his chest. She felt him embrace her with his skinny, yet absurdly strong arms and rested his chin her hair.

"I'm sorry." He said and then nothing else was said. For a long time they stood in each other's arms as the rain fell around them.

XXX

Yikes, fluff. I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'll try to be quicker with the next one. I'll work on Always the Same next and get it finished so that you no longer have to wait for the last blasted chapter. Luv you all.


	22. One More Night At Whispering Rock

Chapter 22:

One More Night At Whispering Rock

Stephen was sitting at a table in the lunchroom resting his chin in one gloved hand. Next to him Parker was talking about something, but he wasn't really paying attention. Sasha had finally stopped asking him questions when the man finally realized that he didn't know any top secret information and Stephen finally convinced him that he wasn't in any way an important person among the Cerebral Soldiers. He _had_ given him all of the items under his mattress, including the explosives, which had dismayed the man.

"We really need to get someone to go through these rooms every once in a while." He had said before tucking them away.

It wasn't until later that Stephen realized that he had accidentally given Sasha Tank's letter as well. He supposed it really didn't make much of a difference. Sasha already knew everything he did. Tank's letter wouldn't add much to that. Still, he wished he had gotten rid of it after reading it.

_If this is supposed to be the right thing to do…why do I feel so guilty? _Stephen took a sip from his milk.

"Stephen? Hello." Stephen looked up at Parker as he waved a hand in front of his face.

"Wha?" Parker rolled his eyes.

"I just asked you when your final was. Did you get the one on Thursday or Friday?"

"Oh." Stephen frowned. "I don't know…I think…I'm not taking it actually."

"What? If you don't take the final you have to take the classes all over again! Do you want to wind up like Dogen Boole?" Stephen shrugged.

"It doesn't matter." He said as he took another drink of milk. "What's wrong with Dogen anyway?" Parker smiled.

"Nothing except he's a complete psycho! Come on, Stephen, the whole point of being here is to become a Psychonaut…you can't become one till you're a Psychadet. If you want to do that you HAVE to take the final." Stephen sighed.

"He's not a psycho." Stephen said in a low voice. "You know…I'm not really all that hungry." He stood up, grabbing his milk as he did. "I'll see you later Parker."

"Hey!" Parker called after him. "Come on!" He sighed and went back to eating. "He gets so weird sometimes."

XXX

After Stephen gave him all of the information he could, as well as the things he had kept hidden under his mattress, Sasha went back to his office and threw the explosives in the garbage. He then sat, and after a moment where he just rested his head in his hands, he sat up and took the diary in his hands. It was locked…but not for long. Sasha threw the tattered strap in the garbage with the explosives and opened the now unlocked journal to find…there was nothing written in it. Wonderful.

Sasha had had a long couple of days. After sending Lili to check on Ford he had gone to the library a few blocks away and had checked out a book on the history of the area around where Stephen had said the Cerebral Soldiers base was located. He found out some things…all useless, though he still wrote them down, and after returning the book had searched the library once more, this time for maps. He found one, similar to the one Truman had. He copied it, and it was now hanging on his wall.

That had all occurred yesterday. Today, he was having an even worse day. Lili hadn't returned…nor had she tried to contact him yet. This meant either that she was in trouble…or Ford was in trouble, or they both were in trouble…or neither of them were in trouble but they didn't see that it was necessary to reassure him of their safety.

Sasha picked up the diary again. He flipped through the pages aggravatingly and came to the middle of the diary before he came upon anything but blank pages. The pages towards the center of the diary were ripped to house a folded note and a badge. Sasha took the badge and examined it for a moment before setting it aside. He unfolded the note which was covered in tiny writing and began to read.

_Stephen,_

_In a few hours you'll be among the Psychonauts, the finest agents ever to be produced by the Government. You may be frightened, and that's understandable, but don't let it get to you. There's a reason I recommended you for this mission. As long as you're careful, you will not be caught._

_Kellen has given you a lot of stuff to work with on this mission. These things are supposed to aid you…but I have a feeling they'd be more harm then good. The Psychonauts aren't stupid. The stuff Kellen expects you to use is flashy and suspicious…and I know one or two people at HQ who are bright enough without you giving them a whole bunch of leads to follow._

_Under no circumstances should you use any sort of appliance or tool that was offered to you by Kellen to keep people from reading your mind. I say this for several reasons, but mostly because anything like that can cause suspicion, and most of them don't work. About half of the kids at The Chitt Learning Center wear them and I can pick just about anything I want out of their heads. Instead, it's better to distract your mind in a way that'll make people steer clear of it and will keep you from thinking about too much of anything else. Pictures work sometimes…but even singing a particularly annoying song to yourself is generally good for keeping people out._

Sasha raised his brow and went on reading. He became more and more alarmed as he got to the end of the letter.

_Kellen may have told you that you will meet me in three weeks away from Psychonauts HQ. He was probably vague about this. He said to me that we should meet at least three miles away from the base. Well…we haven't listened to him up to this point…so why start now. Meet me three blocks away from Psychonauts HQ (Less walking distance.) at a café on the corner of Burgundy ST. It's called The Lucky Cup. Meet me at 3:00 A.M, no later on the sixteenth. Good luck, Stephen. I told you you'd make it._

_-Tank_

Sasha set the letter down and sat back in his chair…

XXX

Milla was reading, and trying not to worry when her door was practically broken in as someone pounded on it. Milla set the book aside and let the door swing open telekinetically. Sasha didn't waste any time with words of greeting. Instead, he rushed in with a few pieces of paper folded tightly in his hand, talking unsteadily about lamp phobias and someone knowing too much.

"Calm down darling." Milla said as she stood and crossed over to him. He was holding the paper out to her.

"This is outrageous! How the hell does he know so much!"

"What are you going on about, Sasha?" She said.

"Read it!" He replied, calming a bit.

Milla took the letter carefully and unfolded it.

"Why don't you have a seat darling, there's a large vein popping out in your forehead." She said as she started to read. Sasha took a deep breath and sat down in a rather colorful chair across from Milla, who had folded her legs and was currently sitting on the air as though it was far more comfortable then anything solid.

"Hmm." Milla turned the page over. "Well." She raised her brow.

"Didn't I tell you?" Sasha said, now composed, but still obviously concerned. "His knowledge is far more extensive then it should be." Milla seemed to dismiss this.

"Darling, it's obvious this child was one of our's. There's no way someone could find out this much by simply doing research…particularly these personal bits about the agents."

"You may be right." Sasha said, relaxing a little. "Still…if this boy knows this much…and he's a Cerebral Soldier, then it's likely Kellen knows this much too. If this is true…then we're in a lot deeper then we thought." Milla smiled.

"Darling, no one's going to defeat us by singing songs to themselves and imagining colorful lamps…besides, I'm not so sure Kellen knows any of this."

"What makes you think so?" Sasha questioned, while ignoring the comment about the lamp.

"Well, if he did, then why would he have sent Stephen with so many things that wouldn't do him any good. In fact, why send Stephen at all? If he already knows this much, why send a boy who was likely to only see a very small portion of the academy…none of it important."

Sasha thought about this. It made sense. He should have seen it himself. Maybe he could use some sleep, after all. But why the hell would one of Kellen's agents keep this much information from him?

A brief image came to him of a tall figure halting in front of a coffee shop. Halting. He had sensed him…or had almost sensed him. Who was this kid?

XXX

The fire was going out again. Raz waved his hand and flames exploded in the hearth. After, he sighed and sat back in one of the makeshift wooden seats. He was extremely uncomfortable. He would have given almost anything for a change of clothes; this damn Cerebral Soldier uniform was beginning to get on his nerves. He was also feeling pain in about a dozen different places. The tight fabric didn't do much for the pain.

Lili was on the other side of the fire, curled up, with her arms on her knees. She was resting her chin on her arms and was looking at the flames gloomily. She hadn't hit him in a while…or tried to set him on fire, so he figured either he was making progress or she was getting tired.

He couldn't read her mind at all. This sort of upset him out, but at the same time he was impressed. She had gotten really good at shielding her mind. He could probably get in, but only if he really tried…and he wouldn't go to those lengths to see her thoughts because it was dangerous…not only for her…he had no desire to have any more broken bones.

"Well, I see you guys are busy catching up." Ford said as he walked into the campfire area, holding a large shard of psitanium. "Don't let me interrupt."

"When can I get in contact with Sasha, Agent Cruller? It's been two days…if they haven't already written me off as dead then they will soon." Lili asked as Ford sat down in front of the fire.

"Wait a bit longer, I figure we should see him ourselves. Besides, they wont write you off as dead, maybe as Missing in Action…but not dead." Lili sighed and went back to staring at the fire.

"What do you think…how long do we have before Kellen comes looking for you?" Ford asked, while nodding towards Raz.

"Honestly…I'm kind of surprised he hasn't already." Raz replied.

"Well, he had to get that thing on his head repaired…I know that much…he wouldn't come here before that was done." Raz blinked.

"Repaired?"

"Yeah…that thing sticking out of his forehead…where he keeps his psitanium…vain fella…he showed it to me himself." Raz laughed a little. He felt Lili's eyes on him and for a moment he met them, before she looked away quickly. He then turned back to Ford and shook his head, his smile fading a little.

"Jeremiah'll fix that up in no time. He's a genius with technology…"

"Jeremiah's another Cerebral Soldier?"

"Yeah…shouldn't take him more then a few hours, especially if Kellen's breathing down his back the whole time."

"Will Kellen know if you're still in his control?"

"I don't know…I would think so…unless the Psitanium here is messing with his reading."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he expects us to come back here anyway." Ford seemed to think about something for a moment before brightening up. "The day's late right now…so we'll plan to head down to headquarters tomorrow morning. Between you and me Raz, well…I think we have a lot of information that'll be useful to the Psychonauts." A troubled look crossed Raz's countenance before he nodded and looked away.

"So, tomorrow it is. I'll keep a look out for Kellen tonight. You guys want some burgers or something?"

"No thanks." Lili replied dully.

Raz shook his head and stood. Without a word he started to limp slowly in the direction of the Main Lodge.

"Hey Raz, don't go too far on that leg, we ought to wrap it or something." Raz mumbled something as he disappeared in the trees.

Ford sighed.

"Sure you don't want a burger? I promise I'll get it cooked before tomorrow." Lili smiled a little in a distracted way. "Well, I want one." He stood up and looked at her for a moment.

"You going to stay here?" Lili didn't answer. In front of her the fire exploded and began to roar again.

"Suit yourself."

XXX

Lili watched the fire, in the forest she could hear the sound of crickets. Without really thinking about it she read the names on the wooden seats surrounding the hearth. She had read them a thousand times. She could recite them from memory if she wanted to.

_Dammit _

Lili unfolded her arms and sat back against the wooden seat. She watched the fire for a moment longer before sighing and kicking at something randomly. (Squirrel) Then she stood up and headed in the direction that Raz and Ford had headed in. She was done crying…and she was pretty sure she wasn't going to inflict any more pain on anyone…although this was still debatable.

XXX

When she got to the Main Lodge Ford was getting the grill ready and trying to locate the frozen patties. Lili wondered briefly how old said patties were, and decided she didn't want to know.

"Where's Raz?" She asked aggravatingly. Ford looked up and pointed at the far end of the lodge with his spatula.

"TV room…you aren't going to break any more of his limbs are you? It's going to be hard enough to find bandages for the injuries he already has." She ignored him and headed towards the Television Room determinably.

It hadn't changed much in the years since she had last been at Whispering Rock, except that rather then housing a bunch of brainless kids muttering about television and hackey sack, it now only consisted of Raz, who was sitting on a bean bag chair with his leg up on another one. When he noticed Lili he had to restrain himself from putting up a psychic shield.

After a moment of silence, her fierce expression subsided and she sat down next to him calmly.

"Your leg's turning purple." She said listlessly. Raz took his eyes off of her to look at his leg, although he was already aware of this fact. It was also swollen. The tight Cerebral Soldier pants were pulled up to his knee on that leg.

"Yeah…apparently walking on it's bad for it." He said.

"The acrobatics and the fighting probably didn't help." She said, pretending to be interested in what was on television. He was silent. She swallowed.

"So…you really couldn't tell it was us." She asked silently. Raz turned back towards her.

"If I could I wouldn't have tried to hurt you."

"Oh…" She said. She couldn't really think of anything else to say. They both turned back towards the television and sat in silence for a while longer.

"Raz…"

"Hmm?" He looked at her.

"I'm sorry." She said, still watching the TV. A look of puzzlement passed briefly over Raz's eyes.

"Why?"

Lili sighed and met his eyes.

"Can't you just say 'That's alright' or something. I don't know why? Sorry I broke your nose. How's that?"

"That's alright." Raz answered. For an uncomfortable moment they stared at one another. Lili looked away first, blushing slightly.

"But I'm the one who should apologize."

"You already did." She said. "It's fine." She watched her hands as she said it.

"Well, maybe I should apologize again."

"Don't bother." Lili continued to look down.

"So…you're a Psychonaut now?" Raz said after an awkward moment when he was trying desperately to make conversation.

"Yeah…and your not." She said. "By the way, that's the dumbest outfit I've ever seen."

"Try wearing it." He said, unfazed. "It's like spandex."

"I would think you'd be used to that."

"You never get used to spandex. So what about the jaw?"

"Huh?"

"You apologized for the nose, what about the jaw?" Lili looked up with a scathing remark at ready. It died in her throat, however, when she found that Raz's face was an inch from her own. He was smiling.

"Just kidding."

"Burger's are ready if you changed your mind!" Ford cried from the other room. Lili's eyelashes fluttered as Raz looked towards the doorway.

"Think we should risk it?" Raz asked. Lili shrugged. Raz started to get up, when he felt Lili's arm circle his midsection. He cast her a surprised look for a moment before she grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulders. It look him a moment before he realized she meant to help him out to the table.

"You don't have to…" He started. She interrupted him.

"If you keep walking on it, it'll never get better…dummy." Raz smiled.

"Thanks."

"Uh huh."

"Well, glad to see you're in one piece still, Razputin." Ford said as Lili helped him into a seat. He winked at Lili, who ignored him.

"That still might change. Who knows if anyone will survive this meal?" Lili said with a straight face as she sat.

"Ha ha, I've been cooking burgers since you were knee high, missy." Ford said as he gave them both a plate with a burger on it. Raz laughed.

"Yeah, the same ones, apparently."

After Ford got himself a burger he sat with a cross look on his face.

"You better watch out, son. I still know where to hide a body around here." He said as they began to eat.

XXX

Well…it might be a weird place to end it…but oh well. Finally I've updated. I have two weeks of free time to update coming up. I hope to update quite a bit more before college swallows me again. Hope you all liked it!


	23. Questions

Chapter Twenty-Three:

Questions

Cadmus sat nervously as Kellen paced in front of him. He seemed to have forgotten that he was there and was mumbling to himself below his breathe. Almost an hour earlier he had called Cadmus down to his office, now Drake was wondering if he might not be able to sneak away while his boss seemed to be in this contemplative state.

"Drake." Kellen said, startling the man out of his thoughts.

"Uh…yessir?" Drake replied, trying to banish his thoughts in case Kellen could read them through his protective device.

"How would you like some fresh air?" Drake did not answer at first. But it seemed as though Kellen WAS expecting an answer.

"That…that'd be nice, sir."

"Glad you think so, because I have a job for you."

XXX

"Hah! Knew he had one around here somewhere." Agent Cruller resurfaced from one of the many large boxes in Sasha' lab with a crutch. "There was an incident a while back with a lady who owned all of these tiffany lamps. In his hurry to get out of her apartment he tripped over one and twisted his ankle…" Raz smiled amusedly and took the crutch from him. His leg had already been wrapped and was currently throbbing because of the pressure that wrapping it had required.

"Well, You'd better get some rest, tomorrow might be a mighty long day." Raz's smile faded as he stood slowly and put his weight on the crutch. Fortunately, he had grown a lot in the last six years so it actually suited him rather well.

"Thanks Agent Cruller." He said a little glumly. "Now I just have to get back up these stairs."

"Don't worry, I'll follow behind." Ford said. He did follow, all the way to the bottom of the GPC. He did have to offer some assistance out of the largest chamber, because of the size of the steps leading down to the campgrounds. Other then that, however, Raz managed well enough on his own.

"Well, I'd better head off to one of the intercom towers near the entrance. We don't want Kellen to get in undetected…and since my equipment went kablooey, I guess that means I won't be getting any sleep tonight."

"Do you want some help?"

"No no, I've done my share of overnight steak outs before. I'll be fine. You go get some rest so you can give that oversized head of yours a chance to heal." Raz raised his brow, but didn't argue. He was tired anyways. He was also extremely concerned, and knew that if he had to stay up all night he would only think continuously about the things that were troubling him.

"All right…goodnight Agent Cruller." Ford waved as Raz limped towards the kids cabin area.

XXX

Lili had retired almost two hours earlier. She had not been able to sleep. At first she blamed it on the small annoying bunk beds…so she had detached one from another and had then put both side by side and arranged the mattresses so that they wouldn't slip from under her. The beds were still short, but at least it wasn't a bunk bed anymore.

She then settled herself into the new bed and had lain there for twenty minutes before she became frustrated. After she turned her lantern on a second time she tried a number of things over the next hour before she realized that her efforts were futile. She had made her uniform comfortable by removing her shoes and socks and the leggings under her green dress, she had tried sleeping on both sides of the bed, had changed position several times, and once even moved to the floor briefly before she decided that the bed, though short, was still far more comfortable then the splintery wooden floor in the Girl's cabin.

Finally she gave up and pulled herself up into a sitting position with a sigh. Lili stood and crossed over to the entrance to her cabin and sat on the stairs.

Four years Raz had been gone. Four years she thought he was dead. She remembered the first time she heard about his disappearance…and worse…when they found that Blythe girl's body. They had written him off as dead too…on that night, when the Blythe girl was buried, she had been at Whispering Rock. She had overheard Sasha and Milla talking about it. Milla had been crying.

Lili had cried herself to sleep that night, and for the rest of the summer she didn't participated in anything and kept mostly to herself. She had dreamed about him a lot too. She still did. Plus…she had closed herself off rather successively…now, even Sasha Nein couldn't read her thoughts. Four years.

Now, suddenly, he was here. He was alive…and…she didn't know what to do. She was angry, but it wasn't because she believed that Raz had decided to be a Cerebral Soldier. She saw him the day before…his behavior had been completely erratic, so unlike him…so unlike any sane person…no…she was angry because…she wasn't sure. She wasn't only angry though, she was also hurt…among other things.

It wasn't only Raz though…it wasn't even mostly Raz…she was upset with herself as well.

Lili heard a rustling sound and looked up. Raz was limping across the wooden bridge that led to the Main Lodge. She saw him before he saw her. He was concentrating on getting to the boy's cabin while putting as little weight on his leg as possible.

"Raz." He jumped slightly and turned towards her, surprised. Normally he could tell when someone was close by…but most people didn't have Lili's mind.

"Hey…I thought you went to bed." Raz said, a little uncomfortably.

"I can't sleep…" She said with a shrug. "I see Agent Cruller found you a crutch."

"Yeah…it's Sasha's."

"The whole Tiffany lamp thing…yeah I remember."

Raz limped slowly over to where Lili was sitting and sat next to her, wincing slightly. He set the crutch down so that he could reach it easily when he had to get back up again.

For a moment they were both silent. Raz was about to break it but Lili beat him to it.

"I've been dreaming about you." She was watching her fingers as she said it. Raz looked at her, surprised.

"What?"

"I think it was about you, anyway. It was the same dream every time. I was on a table and some psycho was sticking stuff in my head. In the dream I remember…he hurt someone…killed someone…a girl…"

"Katie." Lili looked up at him. His eyes were transfixed on the ground. "Yeah…he…he killed her in front of me."

"So the dreams _were_ about you." Lili took a deep breath. "Raz, I know you…or I did, back then…you never gave up easily. You didn't even try to get in contact with us after you went missing. You could have gone to Whispering Rock…or something…"

"It was too dangerous." He interrupted.

"Since when is something too dangerous for you?" She asked, a little coldly. For a moment he didn't speak, then he met her eyes.

"The thing on his head holds psitanium…it keeps his thoughts together…like Agent Cruller in his sanctuary…he was sticking psitanium in my head…along...with something else…something he put in the psitanium…so he could get into my head. He activates it with his own mind…and he feeds me his thoughts."

"So what…he was hypnotizing you?"

"Not really…sort of…he caused me pain…in my head…so I couldn't think...then he overran my thoughts with his own…he'd tell me how to make the pain stop…at first it was bearable…but then it gets…I couldn't even think…the pain wasn't enough to make me do what he wanted…so he…"

For a moment he bowed his head and it looked as if he were either going to burst into tears or be sick. After a while he regained control of himself…but he had gone pale.

"Its my fault those agents went crazy. He made me hurt them…then, he took away the pain…when I came to…I…" He didn't finish. "I tried to leave a couple times…but whatever he did to my brain…he could sense me…he connected our minds…or something…he'd cause me pain and threaten to make me hurt people."

They were both silent for a while.

"I guess I was hoping the Psychonauts would find Kellen and make it end."

"Well…it's over now…you're not under Kellen's control…and the Psychonauts will know everything tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Lili looked over at him. He was examining his hands depressingly. Lili wasn't used to seeing Raz depressed. It made her sad. "I've got something of yours." She said as she turned away. She stood up and went back into the girl's cabin. Raz looked after her, still in a gloomy daze. He stood, collecting the crutch as he did, and limped after her.

Lili fumbled absently through the few things she brought until her hand closed around Raz's goggles. She stood and handed them to him. Raz blinked and took them from her. He laughed a little, and, much to Lili's relief, his face brightened.

"How'd you get these?"

"They found them near the other agents. I took them." She blushed a little and looked away. "No one noticed."

"Man, it's been a while." He said as he examined them thoughtfully.

"I thought you'd want them back." Lili said quietly. He looked up at her and smiled faintly.

"Thanks." He sighed and looked around for a moment. In front of him, Lili was massaging her arm in an uncomfortable way and trying to find something interesting on the floor. "So…" Raz started.

"Night." Lili said while turning away and lifting a portion of the comforter.

Raz pulled the goggles over his head and let them rest on his brow. He looked towards the door, seemed to change his mind, and limped towards Lili.

"Hey, you want to go for a walk or something?" He said, touching her shoulder lightly. Lili jumped and turned with an accusing look in her eyes.

"Don't do that!"

"Sorry." He looked amused.

"Don't you want to rest or something…so you can heal?" Raz shrugged.

"I'm just asking. You said you couldn't sleep." Lili sighed.

"Fine. Let's stay away from the lake though, okay. I don't like going there at night anymore." Lili walked past him with her arms folded. He followed behind her, smiling.

XXX

They walked for about twenty minutes, just to visit most of the places in Whispering Rock to see what had become of them. Lili looked on with little interest…to her, things hadn't changed much at all. She went every summer as a child and had the place committed to memory. Raz, however seemed engrossed with everything…it actually kind of reminded Lili of that first summer, when they met. He got excited about things that she had thought, at the time, to be so dull.

After a while they stopped at a bench and sat.

"So…when did you become a Psychonaut?" Raz asked as he lifted his leg and rested it on a nearby tree trunk. Lili shrugged.

"A few weeks ago."

"You like it so far?"

"It's about the same as always…well…until now…but you seem to have a gift for making things interesting." They were silent for a while. Raz was enjoying the breeze, when Lili spoke again.

"So…what was it like…with them? Did you like it at all?"

"Nah… most of the students got on my nerves…and the instructors were even worse. I hated it. Besides…the uniforms are terrible."

"The girl's uniform seemed…interesting." Lili said, recalling the girl that she and Ford had battled before Raz the day before. "Personally I couldn't see how anyone could fight in a skirt that short. What do you think?" Raz looked at her and then quickly looked away to hide his amusement.

"Doesn't seem to bother them…besides…they can't fight. None of them can…not well anyways."

"Did you have any friends over there?" Raz seemed to consider this.

"Yeah…some of them weren't so bad." Lili concentrated on something on the ground for a moment.

"Did you have any girlfriends?" She asked. Raz looked over at her, surprised. Her expression remained unchanged, but her face did color a little.

"Uh…" He started, blushing a little himself. "No…no girlfriends…what about you?"

"No…well…my dad tried to get me together with this one guy, but that lasted for about twenty minutes…then I gave him a black eye." Raz laughed a little nervously.

"I hope he at least deserved it."

Lili shrugged, as if to say that even if Raz thought he didn't, she certainly thought he did.

"He tried to hold my hand." Raz smiled a little.

"Lucky for him he didn't try something more then that."

Out of the corner of her eye Lili saw Raz move slightly. As she turned her head to look at him he leaned over and kissed her. The action startled her immensely. Lili's eyes widened. Before she could hit him or pull away he broke the kiss, much to her annoyance.

"Why did you do that?" Lili asked, flushed. "You can't…you can't read my mind can you?" She asked, suddenly suspicious. Raz smiled.

"Nope." He said, pleased. Lili's eyes narrowed.

"Your so immature." She said, embarrassed.

"So you've told me. I just wanted to see if you'd set me on fire or something…you know…for future reference." He looked up at the sky for a moment, before checking his watch and turning back to her. "Come on, it's getting late. I think it's about time we go to bed." Raz said as he collected his crutch and stood.

_Tell me about it. _Raz blinked looked back at her.

"What?" He said, turning bright red.

"What?" Lili asked as she stood and started back towards the kids cabin area. Raz shook his head and followed her.

XXX

Yeah…not much has happened in these last two chapters. I'll remedy that with the next chapter though. I hope this one turned out all right…I changed it several times and got rid of a lot of writing that I felt was TERRIBLE. Also I just got a laptop and am still getting used to this keyboard. If there's a lot of errors or the writings not too good, that's why…hopefully. Anyway…another update soon.


	24. Cadmus Goes For A Swim

Chapter 24:

Cadmus Goes For A Swim

General Drake Cadmus was standing just outside a large wooden building in the middle of a heavily wooded area. He'd been here before…to steal psitanium for Kellen, now he was back…and he was beginning to think that he deserved a raise.

Whispering Rock was lit up for the evening. It was almost midnight and all around him was the sound of crickets and the glow of fireflies. Cadmus began walking down the crude path cautiously, pausing every once in a while to listen when he thought he heard something.

_"Are you in?" _Kellen's voice drifted through his consciousness, startling him slightly. Cadmus tapped on a small communication device on the side of his head automatically.

"Yes…na so loud. I'm een." He whispered in return.

_"Where are you?" _Kellen asked.

"Outside a large beelding. If thees boy es still mad, how are you going to stop him from coming after me?"

_"In good time, Drake…trust me…watch out for Agent Cruller and that bratty girl too…if Razputin has not finished them off, they will be watching out for us." _

"Very well…I see no one." He replied as he headed towards the lodge.

"I vill go to ze lake first." Drake said. Kellen did not respond, and so, Drake headed towards the large wooden structure, which headed towards the beach.

XXX

Raz opened his eyes and sat up in bed. Someone was here. He threw aside the covers and stood up on his one good leg, balancing himself carefully against the wall. He grabbed the crutch from beside his bed and hurried out the door.

_Cadmus. _He could feel the lust for fire in the man's mind.

Raz tightened his jaw and headed towards the main campgrounds, forcing himself to keep a steady pace so he wouldn't overwhelm the weight put on his leg.

XXX

Cadmus stepped onto the beach. There was a gentle breeze blowing, but he barely took note of it, besides, what with the intense amount of hair gel he used, he could barely feel it running through his blonde locks, anyways. He stepped forward and a seashell crushed under foot. Off to his right, the boathouse was dark and silent. The old admiral appeared to be elsewhere. Cadmus smiled to himself, his pointy teeth looking eerie in the shadows.

"No vun on zee beach, sir." He said in a whisper. "I vill go out a leetle further just to make sure." He didn't wait for a response before starting towards the lake.

_"Be careful Cadmus, if you screw this up, you might as well not…" _That's as far as he got. Cadmus heard the sound of a ricocheting mind blast. It took him a moment to realize it was ricocheting off of his head, not because it was ineffective…but because a blast to the head, particularly near the ear is always a bit upsetting. He felt an immense stinging sensation on the right side of his face. Cadmus stumbled, lost his footing, and fell to the ground.

As he started to pick himself up, he turned and saw his charred but still in tact communication device lying several feet away from him. He reached for it, but just before his hand enclosed it, it was crushed as someone stepped down on it dramatically.

He looked up and snarled, having very effective teeth to do so.

"You…"

Raz slid his boot on the sand. Under his foot, the device made a very satisfying crunching noise.

"I see your not frothing at ze mouth…it'll make it easier to take you back."

"Go to hell." Cadmus smiled.

"Such harsh vords…be careful what you say boy."

"If you've done something to Agent Cruller I swear to god…" Cadmus laughed.

"That old fool. I haff not even seen him. I teleported, Agent 4. Kellen sent me to get his pet back."

"Yeah, well, you can tell Kellen to take my badge and his psitanium and shove it up his…" Cadmus laughed shrilly.

"Feeling a bit overconfident Aur ve?"

Raz felt the air around him grow warm. Before he burst into flame he sent another mind blast towards Cadmus, who blocked it. Raz did not get chance to shoot another one, for Cadmus threw a confusion grenade. Raz cursed as he was overtaken by it. Drake stood and half punched, half slapped him, causing him to stumble in his drunken state. He landed on something hard and uncomfortable.

Cadmus stood over him with a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

"You leetle fool, do hyou really think the Psychonauts vill take you back after all you've done." Raz heard his words as if they were far away. Around him, his world spun.

"I'd rather...be in the mercy…of the Psychonauts…then…have to look at your face ever again." He said through the haze.

The fog dissipated and Raz was left only with the uncomfortable sharp feeling as something dug into his back. He sat up and removed whatever he had fallen on, planning to throw it as far as he could instead he held it up to his eyes. It was the fish skeleton Linda had given him several years before. He must have dropped it in his hurry to get away from Ford a few weeks before.

Without warning, Cadmus grabbed him by the collar and began to drag him towards the dock. Raz twisted in his grip, meaning to get free and punch him as hard as he could in his exposed stomach. What happen instead, was he got free and while doing so twisted on his bad leg and fell over. Damn…he'd forgotten.

Cadmus laughed and grabbed him again, managing to pull him to the edge of the dock. He shoved Raz forward and, while holding him by the tight material of his shirt, suspending him a few feet above the waves.

"I know ove your phobia. Perhaps ve should see if you sink or float." Raz felt the cold fingers of the lake brushing against his neck. He grabbed frantically at one of the posts on the side of the dock. "Now, ve vill return to Mr Chitt and yoo vill cooperate."

As he said it the young man in his grip looked upwards and mind blasted him in the face. He stumbled backwards, cursing loudly.

"Oh you bastard! My face!" Raz fell backwards and managed to grab hold of the post on the edge of the dock before falling into the watery abyss. The fish skeleton fell out of his hand and came to rest in the corner of the dockside. He ignored it and pulled himself back up and limped towards Cadmus as he was rising. He punched forwards. Cadmus fell again. Raz thrust his hand ahead of him and sent the prissy man off the side of the dock, into the lake, where he came to rest in water, which was just deep enough to reach his ribcage, while sitting down.

Raz seized the fish skeleton again and limped to where the dock suspended a foot above the water, facing Cadmus, who was laughing.

"Ha ha, Agent 4, not everyone ees afraid ove ze vater! If you ver trying to cool me off, you failed." He stood, grinning like a dragon.

"Who said anything about being afraid of the _water?_" Raz said, as he pulled the fish skeleton to his lips and blew. The sound echoed. In the night it sounded almost like the eerie song of the whale. Cadmus started to speak, perhaps to mock Raz, when suddenly the water around him began to shake. He heard the sound of heavy splashing footsteps and turned around confusedly.

"What the…" When the hideous hulking lungfish of lake Oblongata arose, Cadmus screamed like a girl and started frantically towards the shore.

As he scrambled towards the sand, Linda's bright golden eyes shone on Raz.

_"Good evening human child. Why have you called?" _

Raz pointed at Cadmus as he crawled out of the water, stumbling over his own feet.

"Please stop that man." Without much effort, Linda stepped forwards and planted one webbed foot on Cadmus's back as he started to rise. He crashed back down to the sand, screaming.

"What the hell is this thing!"

_"Razputin…Who is this man?" _

"He's one of the one's who've been stealing from your lake."

_"Does he have things in his head that make him obey?" _

"No, he does it because he chooses to." The whole time they were conversing Cadmus was screaming and trying to get out from underneath Linda's large foot.

_"I shall take him to the depths to rot and let the fish slowly devour him."_

"Ew…I mean…I think the Psychonauts would probably like to get their hands on him…so…maybe just take him to Shaky Claim or Thorney Towers to cool off a bit." Linda looked disappointed for a moment.

"_Oh…are you sure?" _

"Yes…wait…yes, you'd better let him live. I'll tell you what, if a Psychonaut doesn't retrieve him in forty-eight hours you can do that thing you just said." This seemed to satisfy Linda to some extent. Cadmus was now pleading however, and his cries became particularly shrill and girl like as Linda picked him up with the attachment on her head and lifted him above her large mouth.

"Ahhh! Mercy Razputin, Please!" His cries were muffled as Linda's lips closed over him. Linda nodded to Raz and headed back into the depths of Lake Oblongata.

Raz waved to her as she left and then collected his crutch so that he could head back towards the cabins.

XXX

"Raz." Raz woke up and automatically shaded his eyes from the brilliant sun. "Are you planning on sleeping all day?" Lili was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. Against the sunlight her reddish purple hair was burning. She looked very lovely.

Raz sat up and grabbed the crutch at the foot of his bed.

"Sorry, I was up kind of late."

"Yeah…well if we want to get to Headquarters before noon you'd better stop fooling around and get moving."

_God, that suit is tight, right up against his skin. _

Raz cleared his throat and limped towards the door.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked as he limped past her.

"Yeah, why?" Lili responded.

"Nothing." Raz replied quickly. "Where's Agent Cruller?"

"He's been in Sasha's lab since this morning."

XXX

"Good, your up, I've been trying to get a basic security system going since six a.m. Unfortunately, I can't find anything in this place! When I see Kellen again I'm going to pop him a good one for wrecking my sanctuary!"

Raz had been progressing down the stairs slowly as Ford spoke before he got fed up and levitated the rest way, wondering why he hadn't thought of it before. Lili had already reached the bottom.

"Well, this'll have to wait, I guess. We'd better head to Psychonauts HQ. I don't think we can spare much more time. I can teleport us a few miles from Headquarters, then we'll have to walk. The building's well protected."

"Um…okay two things." Raz said, as Ford seemed to be preparing himself for teleportation. "First of all, there's an effeminate man from The Cerebral Soldiers stuck either at the base of Oblongata, or across the lake in Thorney Towers. And secondly…I really doubt the Psychonauts will let me past the front gate dressed like this."

"A man in the lake huh?"

"Yeah…but it's alright…Linda's watching him because I told her she could feed him to the fish if a Psychonaut didn't show up in two days."

"Linda?" Lili asked from behind him. Raz turned toward her briefly.

"That fish your afraid of." Lili crossed her arms and scowled. He turned back towards Ford, who looked as if he was thinking about something.

"Well, we'll have to worry about him later. For now…hmm…I hadn't even thought of your clothes. I'll bet Sasha has something lying around. He spends so much time down here, he's got to have at least one change of clothes…well, I would hope so anyway."

Ford eyed the room, before heading towards a particularly hopeful looking pile of cardboard boxes.

"Grab a box and start looking."

Raz grabbed a box from the nearest pile and removed the lid. Lot's of metal parts. He replaced the lid and set it aside. Beside him, Lili seemed to have joined in and was currently fishing through several boxes that seemed to mainly contain dusty or used coffee cups, a cookbook, several worn and coverless books, and a small stuffed bear.

"Hah!" Ford said as he dropped a box onto the floor. A sock flew out of it.

"Get dressed so we can get going." He ascended the stairs. "I'll be up by the gates when you're finished. Raz pulled out a few pieces of clothes and examined them thoughtfully. Across the room, Lili was watching him.

"Uhh…I need to change." Raz said after a moment when she was not leaving.

"Mhmm." She blushed slightly and headed for the stairs.

"Just…hurry up." She said without much feeling.

Raz smiled a little, and waited for the sound of footsteps on the ladder. When he was sure he was alone he began the strenuous process of removing his uniform and changing into Sasha's clothes.

XXX

Well…still not much has happened…sorry…oh well…I'll have another one up soon. I already have the next chapter planned. I need to update on other stories to, so it may be a little while after the next chapter, not to mention, school starts again for me in four days so I wont have much time again…but because I finally have my beloved laptop, so I'll at least be able to take it with me and write during free periods and at work.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the reviews!


	25. A Conference With Sasha And Milla

Chapter 25:

A Conference With Sasha And Milla

Raz appeared at the gates ten minutes later. His Cerebral Soldiers suit was folded on his arm. He was wearing a gray turtleneck and black slacks. He had looked for something a little less somber, perhaps with some color…but had found nothing. He wasn't really complaining however, it was much better then the uncomfortable uniform he had been wearing.

Lili and Ford were waiting for him beneath the sign. Lili's brownish eyes trailed downward, taking in Raz's new style. He looked very much like he had four years before. She felt a pang of yearning in her chest, and tried to suppress it.

"You look like Sasha in those clothes." Ford said, amused. Raz gave him a brief smile, and then held up his uniform.

"What should I do with this?" He asked.

"Burn it if you want, but be quick about it. We need to get going."

It was on the ground burning before Ford even finished his sentence. Raz looked satisfied. He took his goggles out of Sasha's pant pocket and pulled them over his head.

"Alright. Here we go." Ford said, as dreamlike images began to appear around them.

XXX

Stephen was sitting at a table in the cafeteria at ten o' clock. He was by himself drinking a soda. Occasionally, he would forget that it was there and would stare off into space.

"Hey, can I sit down?" Stephen looked up into Dogan's indolent face and smiled a little.

"Yeah, sure." Dogan sat and began to eat an apple. For a while, neither of them said anything. The only sounds were that of Dogan munching and the gentle fizz of Stephen's soda.

"The Squirrels say your not hiding anymore." Dogan said conversationally. Stephen gave Dogan a nervous look.

"The squirrels talk to you often?"

"Yeah…they tell me things…Miss Vodello says it's animal telepathy…or something like that."

"Cool." Stephen said, without much feeling. "What kind of things do they tell you?"

"Lotsa stuff. Mostly I don't really know what they're talking about." Stephen nodded and took another drink of his soda.

"Well, they're squirrels." Stephen said without thought. He figured it was best just to accept whatever Dogan was saying no matter how little sense it made.

"Oh, I understand them…I just don't know what they're talking about. This morning they told me a dragon was drowned or something like that."

"Oh." Stephen replied, not sure what else to say. "Hey, why aren't you at exams?" He asked, deciding to change the subject.

"Miss Vodello said I could take them with her…so…you know…I wouldn't have anymore accidents."

"Well…that's nice."

"Yeah. What about you?"

"Uh…I don't know if I'll be taking them…this time."

"You should. I think you'd make a good Psychadet." Stephen looked up from his soda, surprised, and absurdly touched.

"T-thanks…I don't know about that…but…thanks anyway."

"Welcome. Wanna go outside?"

"Uh…sure…yeah okay."

XXX

Twenty minutes after they teleported, materializing very near the café Raz had just been at a few nights before, they reached the large building that was Psychonauts Headquarters.

Ford had started up the walkway, which led to the gates, when he noticed Lili and Raz had stopped a few steps behind. He turned and made an impatient gesture to both of them. Lili and Raz exchanged a look.

"Uh…Agent Cruller…I don't know if you remember but…I'm dead…and your insane…neither of us have access into the building."

"He's right. How are we going to get inside?" Lili asked, crossing her arms. Ford seemed to consider this for a moment.

"You just go on ahead Lili." Ford said after a while, his thumb and forefinger cupping his chin. "We'll be right behind you." He said as his form faded into the backround. Raz took the hint and went invisible as well.

XXX

Sasha sat in a comfortable chair by a counter covered with various chemicals. His sunglasses were sitting to one side and a current experiment sat forgotten on the desk's surface. An hour or two before, he had tried to sleep, because Milla had insisted. It hadn't worked, however and after twenty minutes, he got up and snuck back to his research. Now, he found he couldn't do that either.

The Cerebral Soldiers. The Psychonauts knew where they were…and what kind of man was leading them…and yet, that wasn't enough. Truman was hesitating. He wanted to be sure about his first move, but Sasha was growing uneasy. If they didn't act soon, then Kellen might. And Sasha was sure Kellen knew a hell of a lot more about The Psychonauts then they knew about the Cerebral Soldiers.

There was a knock on the door. Sasha looked up and then replaced his sunglasses. If it was Milla, she would probably scold him for not being in bed. He stood and after crossing the room, opened the door with dread. It wasn't Milla.

XXX

Raz and Lili were sitting in a lounge outside the accommodation halls. They were waiting impatiently. Ford had insisted on seeing Sasha and Milla first. Raz had not argued much. He was getting nervous as he sat in one of the many chairs and tapped his foot absently. Beside him, Lili was resting her chin in her palm. Occasionally, she would look up at Razputin. He was looking a little pale.

"Are you alright?" She finally asked, when she began to grow tired of his incessant foot taping.

"Wha…oh…yeah fine."

"Really…because you look like your about to pass out." She said as she crossed her arms.

"I guess I'm just a little a nervous. Hehe, I suppose anything the Psychonauts decide to do to me will still be better then what Kellen would." He said uneasily. He appeared to focus on something on the other side of the room for a moment. He really did look kind of sick. Lili uncrossed her arms and laid one gloved hand on Raz's arm. He blinked and looked at her curiously.

"Relax Raz, no ones going to blame you for what happened." Raz smiled a little and took her hand in his own, gently removing it from his sleeve.

_At least I hope they don't_

"Somehow I doubt that, but thanks for trying." He said, still holding her hand. She blushed and quietly took it from him.

XXX

"Ford, my god, where have you been?" Sasha asked as Ford stepped into his room. "And where is miss Zanotto, I sent her to see if you were alright days ago!"

"She's here, you don't need to worry Sasha."

"Why are you here, Ford?"

"My Sanctuary was destroyed. Kellen paid me a visit."

"What? Ford…"

"Don't interrupt me son. This is urgent. I have information on Kellen and the Cerebral Soldiers…and…well…I'll just let you see for yourself."

"Speaking of which, we caught a spy and got some useful information out of him."

"A spy? Really?"

"Yes. Unfortunately the most he could tell us is the location of their headquarters and some basic information about…"

"Well then it doesn't matter, we have more important things to discuss…but before we do, I think Milla should be in here."

"Well…alright…shall I get her?"

"Fine, that's fine. You go fetch Milla and then I suggest that both of you come back here and have a seat. I need to go down to the lounge for a moment."

Before Sasha could say anything else, Ford had left. Sasha stood, and headed towards Milla's room, puzzled.

XXX

Moments later Sasha and Milla returned to Sasha's office.

"So what is this about darling?" Milla asked as Sasha returned to his desk. She had been meditating.

"I'm not entirely sure. Ford said he wanted to talk to both of us. He was acting very strangely."

"I hope it's nothing serious."

There was a knock and then Ford entered. He cast a brief look at both Sasha and Milla as he closed the door behind him.

"Ford, I'm so glad to see you're alright."

"Thanks Milla." Ford said absently. "It was close though and my Sanctuary's history."

"Oh dear."

"You must tell us what happened." Sasha said with a serious tone.

"In good time Sasha. First…well, I think you both need to sit down."

"Why, what's the matter?"

"It isn't Ms. Zanotto is it?"

"No, no, she's fine, she's right outside."

"Then what is it Ford?" Milla asked again, concerned.

"Please sit." Milla looked briefly for a seat. She now looked both confused and worried. She was able to find a chair in the corner, and, after sitting, turned back to Ford, her brow creased. Ford nodded and opened the door.

"Alright you guys."

XXX

Sasha hadn't slept in almost three days…unless one counted that hour when he had fallen asleep two days before in the middle of an important experiment. He was getting to the point when things were beginning to blend together and voices echoed on occasion. So, when Lili and Raz came into the room, his restless mind rebelled in a natural way while his eyes took in unusual details.

_That boy is wearing my clothes._ Sasha thought automatically. This was not his first thought…but it was the only one his mind was currently accepting.

Milla did a little better. She just stared at first, much like Sasha but she came out of it a lot quicker then he did. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her stand, and the boy who was wearing his clothes tensed and then Milla crossed the room.

_What are you doing Milla? _He meant to say it out loud.

Then Milla was throwing her arms around the now terrified looking boy and the spell was broken and Sasha was left feeling shocked and slightly bewildered. If his mind had been a bit clearer he would have made the connections a lot quicker. Still, they did come. He stood.

"Step away from him Milla." He said. In his ears his voice sounded dazed and far away. "He's the enemy."

XXX

This ended Raz's torment as Milla released her death grip on him. He hadn't been able to breathe but it had not bothered him much. A hug was not the worst of his concerns. When he heard Sasha and Milla released him, he felt his uneasiness return. Milla was crying. Suddenly, he felt guilty again.

"Enemy, darling, he…"

"It's alright…please sit back down, Milla. Sasha you two…and keep quiet until we explain." Ford said as he laid a hand on the brazilian woman's shoulder. Milla hesitated for a moment, but still did as he asked. Sasha's eyes cast towards Ford briefly and then returned to Raz, who met them. He sat down.

"Okay son, go ahead." Ford said gravely. Raz looked at him and nodded. He took a deep breath and began to talk. His eyes focused firmly on the ground.

He told them about Kellen jumping them four years before and about Katie's death. He told them about the other agents; occasionally he would stop, or speed up when certain things gave him some difficulty. He also told them things that he hadn't said the night before to Lili. He told them about finding and recruiting the agents and what hand he had in it and what Kellen did and was planning to do. He told them everything he could think of up to the point when Kellen drove him crazy before Lili and Ford came to retrieve him, then he stopped.

Lili had been standing beside him listening. Occasionally she would look up at Sasha and Milla to see how they were taking it. Milla looked horrified and compassionate. Sasha was hard to read behind his glasses, but his jaw was tight and his brow was creased. When Raz stopped talking Lili looked up at him and was shocked to see that tears were running down his face. She had never seen Raz cry before. It bothered her and without even thinking about it she took his hand. He didn't acknowledge it, but began to wipe at his face while still balancing against his crutch.

"I see…well…I think…" Sasha started. Ford interrupted him.

"I think we'd better talk about this amongst us and let Razputin pull himself together. Lili would you take Raz down to the cafeteria so you both can get something to eat?"

Lili nodded and, still holding him by the hand, led Raz back out of Sasha's office. Sasha started to protest but Ford held up his hand and gave him a look that would have stopped anyone in mid sentence.

XXX

Lili and Raz didn't speak as they headed towards the cafeteria. Raz wiped at his face with his sleeve and then took a deep breath, which came out shaky. When they reached the door, Lili opened it for him. He cast her a grateful look and stepped into the large room. It was still a little early, but the cafeteria was crowded enough so that several people looked at them awkwardly.

Raz sat down at an empty table and stared fixedly at the surface. Lili sat next to him quietly.

"Do you want something to eat?" She asked softly. Raz shook his head.

"No, that's alright."

"You sure? Neither of us have eaten since Agent Cruller's burgers…and that hardly counts."

"I'm not hungry…you go ahead." Lili sighed and stood up. Raz didn't pay her any mind, assuming she was going to do as he suggested. Instead, she took his arm and practically pulled him off of the bench.

"Come on"

"Lili what are you doing?" He asked, having to steady himself with Sasha's crutch just to keep from crashing to the ground.

"If you wont eat, then your at least going to lie down."

"Hey, wait. Where are we going?"

"To my room."

"What! No, Lili, you don't have to…I mean…Ford's expecting…"

"Shut up Raz." Lili said as she pulled him back outside the cafeteria. "After Ford's done talking with Sasha and Milla they're going to want you to answer a lot of questions…and right now you look like your about keel over."

"I look that bad?" He asked as Lili led him through the hallway, past a few agents who watched them with curiosity.

"Uhuh. Relax…I'm not going to bite." _Unless you want me to._

"Oh god." Raz said as he limped along with her.

XXX

(Bursts into tears) Well…I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because school starts for me tomorrow…and I will have no freedom from now until Spring Break because of it. Hopefully this laptop will help with that a bit. I have three hours between classes tomorrow and nothing to do with them…and there's a café on campus that's usually empty (Especially after 12:30, when most other people are back in class.)

Neways, thanks so much for the reviews. I love you all and you all deserve a hell of a lot more updates then I give you. Hope you all had a nice Martin Luther King day!


	26. A Telepathic Connection

I warned you all about sexual stuff in Chapter eight. Well, the moment has come, and I REALLY hope it doesn't go badly. Just a warning. Enjoy

Chapter 26

A Telepathic Connection

Lili's room wasn't really decorated all that much. When they reached it, Lili confessed that she really didn't like having a room at Psychonauts HQ at all, even though it meant she got to spend more time near her father then she had when she had lived at home and school. She felt like she didn't have any privacy…and in case of emergencies at least fifteen people had a copy of her key.

Raz was trying to listen to what she was saying. He was finding it hard, however, because his own thoughts…not to mention her thoughts were getting in the way. Her mind was growing more and more vulnerable to him. He wondered vaguely if she was aware of it at all.

Raz was sitting on her bed with his leg up on the mattress. After she made sure he was comfortable, she went into a connected bathroom to change out of her Psychonauts uniform.

Raz laid back against the bedrail and closed his eyes. After a moment of silence in which he listened only to the sounds of others moving outside the room and gently glided through the thoughts of passerby's, he felt a gentle touch on his forehead as his goggles were removed. Raz opened his eyes in time to see Lili setting them on the small table by the bed.

"I'm not asleep." Raz said quietly.

"I know." Lili replied before leaning over him and kissing him gently on the lips.

"What was that for?" Raz asked as she parted from him. His heart was pounding and he could feel the color rising to his face. He wasn't used to outright affection from Lili.

"Because." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him again. This time the kiss was longer. Raz's head spun as her scent engulfed him. He touched her hair lightly and kissed her in return.

XXX

"This is too much, how do we even know that it's Razputin." Sasha said as he paced the floor of his office.

Milla was sitting at his desk with her chin rested in her hand.

"Sasha, how many people do you know who wear goggles, have an impenetrable mind and knows as much as he does about the Psychonauts?"

"It could be a series of coincidences." Milla sighed and raised her head.

"Sasha darling, you sound ridiculous."

"I just…I mean…it's been four years! I don't see how you two can be taking this so lightly!" Ford walked over to Sasha and put two gloved hands on each of his shoulders.

"Calm down, Sasha. Why don't you have a seat."

"He hasn't slept in a while." Milla said from one side. Sasha seemed about to protest, then, he thought better of it and took a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll sit…but you must hear me out." He took a seat beside Milla and removed his sunglasses. There were deep circles under his eyes.

"If this really does include mind control, and I shudder to think what it means if it does, do you really think that we should accept…Razputin back into our trust without taking precautions. You don't even know if psitanium was the only thing Kellen was using to control him."

"Well that's fine. You take all of the precautions you want to Sasha, but just know this. I have complete faith in Razputin…and I saw him under Kellen's control…and I know Kellen."

"Yes, yes Ford I understand. I want nothing but to believe that Razputin is alive and is unchanged…I'm just saying that we need to be careful. Kellen was insane...but smart, as far as I can tell and most of what Raz did was done when he was not under his control. I'm just saying there may be other factors."

"Sasha…" Milla said softly.

"Milla I don't need a lecture from you too. Tell me that you will be careful." Milla sighed.

"Okay, we'll be careful." Milla said softly.

"I think this should include Ms. Zanotto."

"Lili's a smart girl, Sasha. She can take care of herself."

"She is smart, but she was also very attached to Raz. I think it would be wise if she were very careful about how close she gets to him. We all need to take things slowly."

XXX

"I think maybe we ought to slow down a little." Raz said nervously as Lili's hands began to wander in dangerous places. He took both of her wrists and was currently holding them away from said places.

"You haven't changed much." Lili said playfully. She managed to get her hands free of his and grabbed at his shirt.

"Hey!" Raz said as he rolled over to get out of her clutches. It didn't work, she only reached over him, grabbing at both his shirt and pants, or rather at Sasha's pants, who would die if he saw what was happening to them. Raz started to laugh as she touched various ticklish areas. He would protest every chance he got, however.

"Oh god, Lili stop it! Stop that tickles. Ow, ow my ribs!" Finally when she realized his expressions of pain were genuine she backed off and waited for him to catch his breath.

"Jeez, I think you tore a button off." Raz said as he examined his clothing. Lili shrugged.

"Sasha has like…seventeen of those shirts."

"I wasn't talking about a the shirt…" He said, blushing.

"Oh…" Lili said, her eyelashes fluttering briefly. "Here let me see."

"No!" he said, grabbing her hands desperately. "What happened? Yesterday you were upset when I kissed _you_!" Lili sighed and pulled her hands from his again. Her expression became serious.

"Do you remember the last time we saw each other…before the incident with Kellen?" Lili asked. Raz acquired a far off look for a moment as he wondered briefly what that had to do with anything.

"I…"

"You were at my house in the spring, for a Psychonaut meeting, and you had to stay over because your dad couldn't come to get you until morning."

She sat back against the bed and wiped a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Oh yeah. I asked if I could see you, but your dad said you were really sick…I remember. Why?"

"Remember how you snuck into my room anyway." Raz nodded, smiling a little.

"Yeah, you were pretty out of it." Lili nodded.

"Yeah, I know…but I still remember you being there. You sat with me for a long time, you changed the cloth on my head…you stroked my hair. When I woke up the next morning I thought it was a dream, but my dad said you'd been there the night before."

"Yeah…" Raz said, seemingly deep in thought. He laughed then. "Your dad was right, though. It was a bad idea…I got really sick after that." Lili smiled a little.

"I didn't get to see you again after that…and when you went missing I dreamed a lot about that night…only when I woke up, I knew I wouldn't get to see you…" She swallowed, trying hard not to cry. Raz moved closer to her.

"Lili…"

"And then they stopped looking for you…" Lili said softly.

"Hey, I'm here now. All of that's over with." Lili looked up at him.

_Maybe…maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and you wont be here._ She seemed to shutter slightly and Raz pulled her closer to him.

"Lili…"

"Hmm?" She had looked away again.

"What does this have to do with unbuttoning my pants?" Lili blinked and looked up at him again.

"That was just for fun." She said quietly and looked away again. Raz smiled, but his smile faded as he caught the thoughts that were drifting through her mind.

"We don't have to rush things Lili." He said softly. "We could just…pick up where we left off?"

"No we cant." Lili responded.

"No?" Raz asked, worried. She turned back towards him and gently took him by the shoulders, applying gentle pressure, so that he would lie down.

"We're not twelve anymore, Raz." She said in almost a whisper. She kissed him and once again reached for his shirt.

"Lili," He said almost pleadingly. "Don't you think it's better if we wait…" She feigned a moment of thought and then shook her head.

"Nah." After she finally succeeded at getting Raz's shirt off, she reached for his pants once more.

"Okay, Lili please wait a minute." Raz said. This time he didn't pull her hands off of him, but simply put his own hands over hers. Raz opened his mouth to speak, but Lili interrupted him.

"Raz, I've waited four years."

"I know, but this is kind of a big deal and now may not eb the best time." Raz said soberly. Lili took her hands out from under his and sat up.

"If you really don't want to…"

"Well, I mean…it's not that…I just, kinda want you to be sure…before you rip up Sasha's clothes and all." Lili rolled her eyes and took his hands.

"Is that your only objection?"

"Uh…I guess…" Raz said nervously.

"Then shut up."

XXX

Kellen sat in his office and stared out the window. Morning was turning into noon quickly and it was turning out to be a beautiful day. Kellen was watching the obstacle course, currently empty as the children were eating lunch.

He looked briefly at the clock on the wall and then cast his eyes forward. For a moment he seemed to focus on something.

_Ms. Chili, Ms. Mux, Mr. Trimble, to my office, immediately…we may have a problem. _

Kellen then began to go through a stack of papers on his desk, stopping at one briefly, looking at it carefully and throwing it aside. It slid off of his desk and onto the floor, where it burst into flames. He was in a poor mood.

A few moments later there was a quiet knock on the door.

"Enter." He said, without taking is eyes off of his desk.

"Sir, you wanted to see us?" Vesta Mux said as she entered his office. She was very plain in appearance, but not as severe looking as the woman who followed her into the room.

"Yes…come in…sit." Both women exchanged a look and went to the two chairs on the other side of his desk.

"Where is Mister Trimble?"

"He's treating burns in the ward, sir." Andrea said. "Some of the children thought it would be amusing to set some of the teacher's on fire this morning." She did not seem amused at all.

"He's Agent 07 is he? Have him change his badge with Jeremiah this afternoon. He should know better." Andrea nodded quietly.

"What is the matter Kellen?" She asked.

"I sent Drake to Whispering Rock yesterday evening to collect Razputin. He has not returned and something appears to be wrong with the communication device I gave him."

"Do you want us to send someone after him?" Kellen seemed to think about this for a moment.

"No, leave him. I am worried, however that valuable information may fall into the hands of the Psychonauts in light of his…and Razputin's disappearance. I think it's time we make our move." Andrea's eyebrows rose.

"Your certain?"

"Would I have said it if I was not, Agent 2?" Andrea shook her head.

"No sir, I apologize."

"Good…" He opened his drawer and pulled out a handful of small devices. "Take one of these. Give them to all agents up to 25." Andrea nodded.

"When you're finished, tell me…"

XXX

Raz was lying on his back with his eyes closed. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, soaking his hair and his bandage. Beside him, Lili was breathing evenly, leading him to believe that she had fallen asleep. Her head was rested on his chest, her claret locks were everywhere. He opened his eyes and touched her hair lightly. When he did, she stirred.

"Raz…" She said softly.

"Hmm?"

"I can hear your thoughts."

She grabbed the blanket and pulled it tightly around both of them.

"I noticed. You mind's pretty open too."

"Do you think it's like this with everyone." Raz shifted slightly and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know…my experience is kinda limited."

"I've never been telepathic…closest I've come is psychometric…it's weird." Raz raised his brow.

"Psychometric?"

"Ability to read objects by touching them"

"Cool, I'll bet that comes in handy."

"Nah…I almost never use it."

"You're a Psychonaut now…I'm sure the opportunity will come up." Lili shrugged, looking as though she really didn't believe him. They were both silent for a while.

"We need to get back to the cafeteria." Raz said quietly. Lili sighed and buried her face in his chest. He smiled a little.

"Come on Lili." He sat up. Lili groaned in protest but parted with him anyway. Raz grabbed his borrowed clothes and thought of something for a moment as he held up the pants.

"Hehe, I hope Sasha's not Psychometric." Lili smiled and held out Raz's goggles. He took them gratefully and continued to dress.

XXX

OO

K, really worried about this chapter…hopefully, it didn't make anyone uncomfortable. If it did, I can always change it. For a while I considered avoiding this, but you know, whatever. It's always nice to try new things in writing. Hopefully all of you did enjoy this chapter, and it didn't bother anyone. Updates will come as soon as I can get to them. Love you all!


	27. And It Begins

Chapter 27:

And It Begins

After he and Lili dressed, Lili helped Raz up and handed him his crutch. Raz smiled at her and slowly limped towards the door. Lili opened it for him and followed him out.

Raz stopped briefly in the hall in order to pull his goggles over his forehead. His shirt was untucked to hide the missing button and Lili had loaned him a belt to help as well. It was a girl belt, but with his shirt untucked he figured no one would notice. Lili touched his arm briefly and they started back towards the cafeteria.

"I can still hear your thoughts." She whispered as they passed two men in suits. A light smile touched his lips. It faded as they reached the door into the cafeteria, where Sasha was standing with his arms crossed. He was peering in the door, which was being held open telekinetically.

When he saw them he motioned to someone inside the cafeteria and then turned towards them.

_Try not to look so guilty_ Lili sent him the message quickly.

"There you are!" Ford said as him and Milla immerged from the cafeteria.

"Where were you two? We were concerned." Milla said.

Raz started to speak but Lili elbowed him in the stomach.

"I was just showing Raz the new student's lounge. He wanted to sit down for a while." Raz gave her an annoyed look and rubbed his stomach.

"Oh, well, if your feeling better darling, we should get back to Sasha's office so we can…"

"Actually," Sasha interrupted. He had been watching Raz closely, who was carefully avoiding his gaze. "I think perhaps you, Ford and Lili should go back to your office, Milla and talk about what we talked about while they were…lounging. I think me and Razputin need to have a talk."

_Oh god, he can't hear our thoughts can he?_ Lili thought. She was slowly turning red.

_I don't think so…_ Raz returned. _But just in case, I think we'd better think about something else._

_Right. _Lili thought. The color in her face deepened.

_Your still thinking about it, aren't you? _

_Uh huh._

"Well…I suppose it wouldn't hurt." Milla said, but she was giving Sasha a guarded look. "If that's all right with you, darling." She touched Raz's shoulder lightly. Raz nodded.

"It's fine." He said, as he met Sasha's gaze briefly. The man walked past him towards his office.

_Good luck _Lili smiled at him lightly. Raz returned her smile a little sickly and followed him to his office. When they were gone Milla sighed.

"He's so stubborn." Milla said softly.

"Yeah but he'll come around…"

XXX

Raz was sitting in the chair opposite from Sasha's. He was thrumming his gloved fingers on his leg quietly and waiting for the older man to speak.

"Well," Sasha finally began, examining Raz as though he were some sort of strange new experiment that may start being dangerous at any moment. "Ford and Milla seem to think that you're perfectly trustworthy despite that fact that you've been with the Cerebral Soldiers for the last four years and attacked Miss Zanotto and Ford the other day." Raz looked up and felt Sasha's heavy gaze weigh down on him. He also felt the mental fingers of Sasha's psyche trying to pry into his own. He kept him out with little trouble.

"I'm not entirely sure of your reliability myself, but nor can I prove anything against you, so, for now I must simply be content with keeping my eye on you." Raz met his eyes, or rather, his sunglasses and then, after a moment, looked away.

"As for miss Zanotto, well…I would prefer if you kept away from her for right now. She may be able to protect herself, but I'm not entirely sure I trust her judgment in this situation. Do you understand?"

"Sure…" Raz said, speaking for the first time. He sounded slightly hurt, as well as a bit chagrined.

"Good, now perhaps you should go eat something, since you were too tired to eat before." Raz nodded and stood. He headed towards the door, then, turned slowly towards the older man.

"Sa…Agent Nein?" Sasha looked up from his desk. "I know it doesn't count for much…but I'm sorry." He turned away and walked out the door. Sasha was left alone in his office. He sighed, and laid his head down on his desk uncharacteristically. Across the room the door closed by itself.

XXX

"Glad you all could pull yourselves together so quickly. The time has come, you all know what must be done." Kellen was standing away from a small group of agents who for the most part were watching him patiently. All of them were wearing small earpieces. Occasionally some of them would adjust it nervously as though testing if it was working or not.

On one side of the room Jeremiah was working quietly on something as well as listening. He was growing uneasy of the situation. He also noticed that among the twenty top agents of Kellen's two were missing; Tank, who apparently had not yet been retrieved from wherever he was taken and Dragon, who had apparently been sent to retrieve him. Maybe the Psychonauts weren't as clueless as Kellen made them out to sound.

"Now, I'll ask you all to flip the small switch on your earpiece, like so." Kellen spoke, and then demonstrated on his own earpiece, which was connected to the larger structure sticking out of his head. Everyone in the room followed his actions.

"Good, now, don't turn it off till I say." He took a few steps back. On his face he wore a small mad smile. It looked almost boastful and pleased as if he were about to share some great accomplishment with those around him. Pirate straightened and watched. He had heard rumors about this.

Kellen opened a small silver door on the wall, like those, which might cover the circuit breaker in a house, and, still smiling that small, odd smile, he flipped a small switch.

XXX

If you've ever heard a fire drill, this was like that…and that horrible screeching sound that a microphone makes sometimes…only together and amplified tenfold. It was also the sort of noise that one could not block out. It occurred inside the mind, behind the ears and it hurt like hell. Everyone at the Chitt learning Center began to scream…or at least, everyone who were not wearing Kellen's special earpieces.

They screamed for a few seconds and then they all fell quiet.

Benny slumped down as if the life had suddenly drained out of him. He had been eating dinner, but when the sound had happened he dropped his fork and covered his massive ears to no avail, now, slack jawed, he sagged against the table. Around him, all of the other students did the same. It was like a movie or a play, right before the lights turn on when the characters look as if their frozen in one place.

XXX

Raz was on his way to the cafeteria when suddenly he was struck with an extraordinarily odd feeling. For a moment, he felt as if his entire body was covered in static electricity. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his skin crawled. Then, the feeling left and for a few moments he heard a quiet but horrible ringing sound in his ears. The wound on his forehead throbbed until the sound went away. When it did Raz felt normal again, though slightly nauseous and quite bewildered.

He looked around for a moment and shook his head, took a few steps and stopped. Something was wrong.

Raz touched his temple slightly and felt a dull pain deep in his mind.

_He's done something_. _Dammit…this means he'll try something…soon. _Raz narrowed his eyes and limped towards the cafeteria once more, this time at a quicker pace.

XXX

Stephen also felt it, but at a much lower level. Still, for a few moments he completely failed to hear anything that Dogen said. The older boy had been telling him about the squirrels again. Stephen looked around the cafeteria briefly. Him and Dogen had just came down and gotten their food for dinner, but suddenly he didn't feel like eating. In a moment, he would feel even less like eating, but for now it was just because of the very faint ringing sound in his ears. He shook his head vigorously and it died down, much to his relief.

He took an unenthusiastic sip of his milk and tried to pay attention to Dogen's slightly mad rambling once more. He had been very unfocused during the last couple of days. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen when Tank found out that it was he who had given away the location of The Chitt Learning center. Would he be angry? Disappointed? Would he come after Stephen? It was odd, he hardly cared about Kellen himself, certainly he was frightened of the large man, but it was Tank who Stephen was really frightened of…because…well, he felt like he had personally betrayed the older boy.

He didn't notice Raz when he entered the lunchroom, nor did he notice when Raz noticed him. He did, however notice when Raz tapped him on the shoulder. In fact, he fell off his chair and spilled his milk in alarm.

XXX

In his initial panic he thought that all of his concerns were going to be justified. The Psychonauts must have done something and now Kellen had sent Tank after him because he was his responsibility.

After Stephen fell off of his chair the older boy took a step back, surprised. Then he stepped forward again and offered Stephen his hand. Stephen just stared at it stupidly. He was saying something.

"Wha?" Stephen said in a haze.

"I asked if you were alright." Stephen's paralysis broke and he carefully took the boy's offered hand and allowed himself to be hoisted back onto his feet. It was at this point he noticed for the first time that Tank was in bad shape. His eyes were slightly discolored, as if someone had punched one of them, and then decided that that wasn't satisfactory and hit the other one as well. He also had a bandage around his head and was walking with the aid of a crutch.

"Hey Stephen, I was worried about you. I thought you might be in trouble." Stephen responded by saying…

"Ghg" Before he could think of anything else to say, Dogen spoke from beside him.

"Everyone said you were dead. I'm glad your not." He spoke in the same half sleepy voice, but for Dogen his face had brightened considerably. Both Stephen and Raz turned towards him. If Raz experienced even a moment of bewilderment, it didn't show. Raz smiled broadly and much to Stephen's surprise and confusion he grabbed the top of Dogen's 'hat' which rose about a foot above his head and imitated a gesture of ruffling someone's hair.

"Hey Dogen, long time no see! Your hat's gotten bigger."

"Yeah…I set some people on fire…they said the old one wasn't working anymore."

"Well…I hope they deserved it." Stephen noticed that Tank spoke to Dogen the same way that Miss Vodello and the angry girl with the reddish purple hair did. Everyone else talked to him as if he were either retarded or insane…even Stephen himself sometimes lapsed into that "Okay take it easy, the squirrel's said what? Why that's just great" voice from time to time when talking to Dogen. Tank was being friendly, but not overly friendly. Finally, Stephen found his voice, however shaky it might be.

"I'm not in trouble…but you'd better get out of here or you might get into trouble!" He was whispering urgently, his eyes darting around the room. Tank's smile faded slightly.

"Yeah, unfortunately I'm already in trouble…but I'm glad to hear you're alright."

"Wanna sit down for lunch?" Dogen had continued eating…apparently seeing someone come back from the dead wasn't all too surprising to him.

"Sure. I am kind of hungry now, I haven't eaten since last night." Dogen scooted over so that Raz could sit in between him and Stephen. Stephen watched this nervously and looked around the room once more.

"Ugh…are you sure this is a good idea…what if your caught?" Beside him, Dogen had given Tank one of his muffins, who had bitten into it enthusiastically. He turned back towards Stephen and looked like he were about to say something. He was interrupted before he got a chance to.

The girl with the claret hair who always looked as if she were going to set someone on fire sat down across from them and spoke in frustrated tones.

"Apparently Sasha, Milla and Ford had a little talk. You have to see my dad tomorrow morning when he has time…and I'm not supposed to be alone with you until _he_ decides if your dangerous or not." She didn't seem to be very interested in Stephen or Dogen, her glance passing over them both briefly before setting on Tank, who was now frowning.

"Great…so what happens if he decides I'm dangerous?"

"He'd better not." She said with a flicker of anger in her eye. "But if he does, you'll probably have to go on trial…"

"Wait…what…the hell is going on?" The girl, Lili and Tank turned to Stephen curiously. Lili looked at him as if she had just noticed he was there.

"You…you didn't turn yourself in…did you?" Stephen asked hopefully. For a moment, Tank looked embarrassed.

"I think I was caught actually."

"So…they know?" He whispered to Tank and cast a quick look to Lili who had raised one eyebrow.

"Uh…yeah…"

"That you're a Cerebral Soldier?"

"That I _WAS_ a Cerebral Soldier."

"So you're not going back?"

"Not if I can help it." Lili said from across the table. Stephen saw Tank flash her a smile before he turned back to him.

"No, I'm not going back…unless it's to kick Kellen's butt." He added.

"That's great Tank!" Stephen said excitedly, suddenly filled with relief.

"Tank?" Lili gave the older boy a strange humored look. He blushed a little, a thing Stephen found quite odd.

"It's…uh…a nickname."

"Oh?" The girl gave him an amorous look. Tank turned back to him.

"Since we're not at CLC anymore…you can call me Raz, Stephen." Stephen paused for a moment, and then raised his eyebrows.

"Raz?"

"Yep." Raz smiled at him. "That's my name."

"Wait…" Stephen thought for a moment. "Raz as in…Razputin Aquato the Psychonaut Raz?" He was now eyeing Raz in awe.

"Well..yeah…former Psychonaut anyways." Raz said, looking slightly dejected.

"_You_…are the youngest person ever to be initiated in the Psychonauts?"

"I…was…I guess…people still talk about that?" Stephen didn't answer, he just stared.

"Oh wow."

XXX

Kellen shut the door and turned back to the only people in the facility who were not, as it were "shut down."

"Phase one is completed. Now, it is time to start phase two." He smiled a little. "Agent 7, connect me with Psychonauts HQ. It's time they start seeing things my way." His grin widened and not for the first time, did Jeremiah wonder if he was on the right side.

XXX

Whoo! I've been at work since 2:00 and thanks to a lack of customers I was able to finish this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Have a nice weekend!

I'm glad you all liked the last chapter as well Oh...and Tim...if your still reading this...please PLEASE stop.


	28. The GPC

Chapter 28:

The GPC

Raz and Stephen were sitting outside of the cafeteria in a grassy area used for students who had grown sick of being inside and had decided to enjoy a bit of nature. Stephen was currently watching a couple of boys around his own age enjoying nature in their own way via pyrokinesis.

Raz had set his crutch aside and seemed fairly content to sit under a large oak in the middle of the recreational area in silence, occasionally, the younger boy noticed, he seemed to doze off. Dogen had also followed them out but he was sitting a little ways away staring at some squirrels and Lili had wandered off muttering about someone sending her a message telepathically and was currently standing near the doorway to the cafeteria talking with a middle aged agent about something that was apparently very aggravating to her.

"He's still talking to squirrels huh?" Stephen jumped slightly and looked at Raz, who had opened one green eye and had it focused on Dogen.

"Um, I guess…" Stephen said. "Has he always been so…er, I mean is he…" Raz smiled a little and Stephen assumed with some relief that he caught the end of his question mentally.

"It's just the way his mind works. I think the squirrels are some kind of telepathy. I used to know a kid who could talk to fish too." He said as he sat up and stretched. He grimaced slightly and rubbed at his ribs with one gloved hand.

"Did Kellen do that stuff to you?" Stephen asked shyly while indicating Raz's many injuries. The older boy smiled.

"Nah." Raz said.

"The Psychonauts?" Stephen asked, looking momentarily horrified as he once again considered the prospect of him having a hand in Raz's capture.

"Sort of." Raz said while nodding towards Lili on the other side of the yard. Stephen noted that the man she was talking to was starting to look a bit hassled.

"She's kinda scary."

"Yeah. She is." Raz replied fondly. "Sasha didn't give you too much trouble, did he…when you got caught?" Stephen tore his eyes off of Lili and turned them back on Raz.

"The tall German guy? Well…he hypnotized me and asked me a bunch of questions…he was pretty mad. But…it wasn't that bad. I mean they didn't hurt me or anything…and Agent Vodello is really nice." He added the last in a small voice.

"Sasha isn't bad either…when, you know…he's not suspecting you of anything." He seemed to think about something for a second and then shook his head. "Anyways, I'm glad you're all right." Stephen pulled his skinny knees up to his chest and eyed the ground with some guilt.

"A lot of what I told him…I mean I wasn't hypnotized for most of it. I think he has your letter too." Raz laughed. Stephen looked up at him, a little surprised.

"Well that would explain how he knew about me and the Cerebral Soldiers before I said anything. I guess that lamp tip was a bad idea." He caught Stephen's expression. "Hey, don't worry about it. It wouldn't have mattered either way; I was going to tell him everything anyways. Besides I was kind of hoping you'd go to them _before_ they caught you."

"I wouldn't have done that." Stephen said, wide eyed.

"Kellen wouldn't have come after you here." Raz said kindly. Stephen sighed.

"I'm not worried about Kellen…well I mean, he scares me, I guess. I was more worried about letting you down, to be honest." He said, with some embarrassment. Raz opened his mouth to say something else, but paused. Stephen watched his expression turn stormy.

"Uh oh." The younger boy followed his gaze. A group of very serious looking men were coming towards them. Stephen didn't recognize any of them, apart from Sasha Nein, who was trailing after the others, his jaw tight. At the head was a particularly serious looking man in a suit with brass buttons and a silver badge, he seemed like the sort of man who was probably always at attention.

Near the cafeteria, Lili had also seen them coming and had left the man she was arguing with and was heading towards them with determination. He called after her, but to no avail.

Beside him, Raz had gotten to his feet nervously and had placed the crutch under his arm again.

The man halted in front of them and eyed Raz with stern yellowish eyes.

"Uh…hello Mr. Zanotto." Raz said. He met Sasha's gaze briefly before the man cleared his throat and made a show of fishing out his cigarettes.

"It's Agent Zanotto, Razputin." Raz nodded wearily. "I am…pleased to see that you are still alive…and I know that the last couple of days have been…hard for you." The older man said carefully. "but…we've been discussing matters…" He indicated the group behind him. "And although we have not come to a conclusion as to whether or not you will be put on trial, we do think that it is in everyone's best interest that we take certain precautions, given the current…situation." From where he was sitting, Stephen saw Lili move up behind the group as he was talking. She eyed Raz briefly.

"Because it's come to our attention that Kellen is using mind reading, we think it would be a good idea, at least for now, if we keep you in containment…for your own safety as well as ours. We can't risk Kellen using Clairvoyance or any other mental techniques on you while you're here." At this Lili moved towards Raz.

"You're not going to throw him in the GPC." She said. She phrased it a bit like a question, but it sounded more like an accusation. Truman started and turned towards her.

"Lili…"

"It's Agent Zanotto." She replied scathingly. "If Kellen comes over here, he's the only one who knows how to deal with him aside from Agent Cruller and you won't listen to him because you think he's crazy." Truman eyed the agents around him with some embarrassment.

"Listen, we can discuss this later, this is official Psychonauts business, Li-Agent Zanotto and it doesn't involve you." She tightened her jaw and moved between Raz and her father.

"Well I went with Agent Cruller to get him back, so I think it does involve me. And besides, I'm a Psychonaut too now, remember?" She said as she crossed her arms.

"If I may say something." Sasha said while stepping forward. "Perhaps your opinion is slightly biased, Miss Zanotto? This is not a form of punishment. It is merely a safety precaution."

"A safety precaution against what? Kellen used to be a Psychonaut, remember? He already knows where we are and how the building's laid out!"

"Lili, we can't take any chances. It'll only be for a little while. He has gone through severe mental trauma and we're not sure Kellen's influence is entirely absent." Truman said wearily. Lili glared at him.

"But Agent Cruller…" Truman interrupted her, holding up a hand.

"Agent Cruller was once a singular agent. But forgive me if I am hesitant to believe that in his severely shaky mental state, he was able to perform successful surgical treatment on this young man."

Before Lili could say anything else, Raz laid a gloved hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right Lili." He said softly. She turned towards him and gave him a dark look as he took a step towards her father. Sasha cleared his throat a little.

"Perhaps it would be wise if Mr. Brickall went with you as well." He said stoically. Stephen, who had been watching the scene bewilderedly, looked at Sasha when his name was mentioned, horror mounting in his expression.

"Hey, he doesn't have anything to do with this. Kellen doesn't even know he was caught." Raz said quickly.

"It's only a precaution." Truman repeated as he looked at Stephen, who was trying very hard not to go invisible. "Mr. uh…Brickall was it? You'll come with us as well." Stephen got to his feet shakily and headed towards the group, casting a wary look at Raz. Before they could leave Lili grabbed Raz's arm.

"You're not seriously going to just give in…" She said, with just a hint of bitterness. Raz put his hand over hers.

"It's okay." He said again. _Of course I'm not giving in, but there's nothing I can do right now. They already don't trust me. _"If the Psychonauts think this is for the best then I'll go to the GPC._ You and Ford keep your eyes out for anything unusual. _Lili pulled her hand from his with a frown.

"Fine." She said as she crossed her arms. Truman took Raz's shoulder with just enough pressure to indicate while he was intending for this to be a civil encounter, he still expected him to do what he was told. Raz followed Sasha and the others cooperatively, with Stephen at his side. The boy had gone somewhat pale. Truman cast his daughter a slightly disapproving look. She caught her father's eye briefly with a glare before she turned around and headed back towards the cafeteria, ignoring the man she'd been talking to a moment before, who attempted to follow her in but nearly got the door slammed in his face. Truman sighed and turned to follow the others.

XXX

The Geodesic Psycho Isolation Chamber at Psychonauts HQ was different from the one at the camp. The model at the camp was old and outdated and honestly, a bit on the dangerous side considering how much the door stuck sometimes, so that these days it really only served as the secret entrance to Sasha's laboratory…not that Sasha's lab was really all that secret.

The GPC at Psychonauts HQ was much larger and less likely to be the cause of lawsuits. A cluster of the circular rooms connected in a lower part of the building. Each one had a tiny window, which allowed an observer to see into the room, but did not allow for the prisoner to see out. The rooms were padded and there were faint lights outlining the top of the spherical ceiling. They set off an irritating light not unlike the fluorescent lights found in office buildings, except that they were much dimmer. The electric must have been wired wrong in this particular room, because it occasionally flickered maddeningly, or perhaps this was just an aesthetic choice made by the designer.

The Psychonauts had provided Raz and Stephen with blankets and food and they were told to ask for anything else they might need. An agent would be present outside their compartment.

Raz sighed. He had been pacing the small room for the last fifteen to twenty minutes. He didn't care much for being stuck in one place, particularly when he knew that somewhere, a madman was after him and planning to take vengeance on the Psychonauts. He also hated the feeling of being cut off from his powers. He had been in the GPC only once, not counting the times he went into the one at camp to get to Sasha's lab. He'd stepped into it briefly while touring Psychonauts HQ. It was like being blind and deaf.

Nearby Stephen was staring at an opposite wall with a slightly worrying expression. He hadn't said anything since they had been thrown in.

"You all right, Stephen?" Raz asked after a moment, when it became apparent to him that the color draining out of the boys face was not a trick of the horrible lighting. He seemed to snap out of his stupor and gave Raz an unconvincing smile.

"Yeah, fine. I don't like being…stuck in places." He said. Raz sat down next to him and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, just remember, it could be worse. We could be at CLC, or…we could be on fire."

"Why would we be on fire?" Stephen asked a little shakily.

"Uh…I'm not really sure…but it would be worse." Stephen gave him a strange look before tuning back towards the wall.

"Agent Nein told me that he wasn't going to say anything about me being a spy." Stephen said with a sigh, because it was better then focusing on the onset of claustrophobia.

"Yeah well, I think that's mainly my fault. He probably would have kept his word if I hadn't shown up."

"Did you know him, back when you were a Psychonaut?"

"Yeah, he was at the camp the year I snuck in. Plus I read a lot of comic books while I was on the road as a kid. He used to be in True Psychic Tales. I guess I kinda looked up to him."

Raz had gotten into a meditative sitting position and had his eyes closed.

"What are you doing?" Stephen asked.

"Seeing how impenetrable these walls are." Raz answered.

"Aren't they made specifically to keep out psychic energy?" He remembered this vaguely from the few lessons he'd taken in the first week at Psychonauts HQ. The GPC was designed by someone in a place called Whispering Rock because he had set up his lab for research and had gotten tired of the Cougars that kept setting fire to the place. Stephen hadn't really understood the last part, but he did remember the teacher saying that the GPC was used to close off all Psychic wavelengths.

"Yeah, but you never know until you try."

XXX

Kellen was standing atop a small hill, overlooking Psychonauts HQ. To his right was Andrea, who was staring at the building coldly. On his left was Jeremiah. He looked considerably less confident. Apart from the bandanna and the earrings he was also wearing one of his own eyepieces, which were meant to measure psychic energy. He really did look like a pirate now.

"Can you?" Kellen asked. Jeremiah tore his eyes off of the building with a frown.

"There's no way I have enough psychic energy. I mean…I can see it…but it's too much." Jeremiah replied.

"Happily, energy is not a problem." Kellen said with a mad grin. He reached into his coat. When he removed his hand he was holding a strange object. It sort of looked like a taser gun, except that it was surrounded by a worrying purplish glow. Jeremiah eyed it wearily.

"You two are about to be let in on one of my greatest achievements. Over the years. Over the years, I have improved it considerably. If it works as well as I hope it does, perhaps when this is over I'll give it to you to alter, Jeremiah. You, after all, have the mind for this sort of thing. Now relax your shoulders, this is going to be quite painful."

"Uh…wha-" Before Jeremiah could finish, Kellen pulled the trigger. The young man was brought to his knees, his teeth bared. Andrea watched soberly.

All he was aware of in the thirty seconds when Kellen had the gun on him was a series of explosions in front of his eyes. His head was still reeling when the images died away and for a moment his head swam sickeningly. Then, that passed and he felt the power filling every angle of his mind and body. It felt good. He stood up carefully.

"How do you feel, Agent 07?" He asked giddily.

"Um…I feel great." He said while staring at his hands as if he were expecting them to start shooting sparks.

"Good, now…_do it_." Jeremiah looked up at him, then nodded carefully and concentrated on Psychonauts HQ. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A building that size and a government building at that, it'd have a hell of a security system. Probably there were computers somewhere that controlled everything, and people who were there to keep watch and somewhere a source of power.

_Aha._

His father had been proud of him when he was a kid. He remembered what it had been like when he'd presented the motorized car he'd gotten for his birthday, the one that had been fried after he'd accidentally driven it into the neighbor's pool. He had fixed it, as good as new. His father had been surprised and pleased. He'd been proud of him. He was less proud of him on the day that he'd gotten his father's own car started again. At the time he'd been young enough so that he didn't understand why his father was so upset. The engine had blown out, so Jeremiah had fixed it…he didn't realize that most people couldn't do it from the back seat.

Usually he could only move small things; a few wires here or there. Sometimes he could fix things without ever touching them. Sometimes he did it manually, but he'd always been good at seeing the pattern with which things worked. Right now he felt as if he could pluck a satellite out of the sky. Jeremiah found what he was looking for. Now it was just a matter of taking it apart.

XXX

There was a faint knock on Lili's door.

"_Go away_." She said automatically. She was sitting on her bed in a knee length nightshirt and a pair of long striped socks and had spent the last hour trying to meditate. It hadn't really been working.

"It's me, darling." Lili opened one eye and after a moment unfolded her legs and headed towards the door. Milla was standing in the hallway. She was wearing a long silk robe.

"Hey, Milla." Lili said.

"May I come in?" Lili nodded lightly and stepped aside.

"I'm surprised you don't have a key. Agent Robinson ordered me to give him mine so he could make more copies. Apparently there are some people here who can't get into my room still." Milla smiled a little.

"If it makes you feel any better, dear, me and Sasha don't have much privacy here either. How are you doing?" She asked as Lili sat down on her bed again with a sigh.

"I'm all right." She said with perhaps a hint of awkwardness. Her mother and father were generally busy with other matters, so that she generally spent much of her childhood either at camp or at boarding school. She wasn't particularly accustomed to maternal concern.

"You've had a very hectic couple of days. I was just a little worried." Lili gave her a uni-shrug. Milla smiled a little.

"When I was your age I would have been a complete mess, but I suppose that's just me." Lili remained silent, but returned Milla's smile with her own. Her expression, as always was completely unreadable, but even though Milla had never had the ability to read minds, it was possible that she knew more about what the girl was thinking then he ever would.

"I'm glad you're all right. If you ever want to talk about anything, I'm right down the hall." Lili nodded.

"Do you trust him?" Lili asked, just as Milla has set her hand on the doorknob.

The older woman turned towards her. She seemed to reflect on the question for a moment.

"Of course, darling." She said finally. "Do you?"

Lili nodded, and a hint of color rose to her cheeks.

"Why is Sasha being so difficult?" She asked, trying to avoid any talk of her own feelings. Milla sighed a little.

"I'm not sure, darling. He can be very cautious sometimes. I'm sure he believes that what he is doing is for the best." Lili frowned and rested her chin in her palm. "He'll get over it eventually, I'm sure. He was very fond of Raz too. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She said, her voice once again taking on a cheerful edge. "I must get my beauty sleep, darling. Sasha keeps knocking on my door in the middle of the night for all sorts of reasons and I haven't slept properly in days. You might try to get a good night sleep too." After she was gone, Lili sighed and fell back on her bed. Eventually she dozed off.

XXX

Raz had been sitting quite still for some time. In the meantime, Stephen had been picking at the padding on the floor. Eventually, the older boy sighed and seemed to relax from his meditative state.

"Any luck?" Stephen asked. Raz shrugged.

"It's like trying to listen through a door. I can barely get a reading." He unfolded his legs and after propping a pillow up against the wall, laid against it and removed his goggles. Stephen broke the silence after a few moments.

"Dogen told me you saved everyone at the camp you two were at when you were ten." He said, while looking sideways at the older boy. He had been meaning to ask him about it, but due to his usual shyness and his unwillingness to break Raz's concentration, he had refrained from doing so until now. Raz laughed a little.

"Yeah, that was a great summer. See, Coach Oleander got this mad dentist to steal all of the brains of the kids at camp by kidnapping them with this big mutated fish so he could power this big death tank and take over the world." He caught Stephen's expression. "I guess you had to be there."

"I'm kinda glad I wasn't. Isn't Coach Oleander that guy at the front desk who yells a lot?"

"Uh…I dunno…sounds kind of like him."

"They still let him work here?" Stephen asked, mystified.

"Yeah, well…he was kinda messed up back then, lots of unresolved issues." Raz said while shaking his head. "He probably won't try it again." Raz was adjusting the straps on his goggles. They were too tight and had begun to squeeze at his temple. This, as well as his still healing wound, where Cruller had opened him up to remove the psitanium, was beginning to give him a headache.

"And you saved them by yourself?"

"Well, I had a little help. Agent Cruller was there…he just couldn't leave the camp so he kinda just stowed away in my head and gave me advice and stuff."

"Wow." Stephen said, admiringly. Raz cast him a brief smile before pulling the goggles back over his head. This time he let them rest around his neck.

"Well, I'm going to get some sleep. I'm exhausted." Raz said as he grabbed at a blanket too. "Great thing about these padded floors, at least they're comfortable." He added as he kicked off his shoes and went about getting comfortable.

Stephen sat back against one of the walls. He wondered vaguely how long they'd be in there and whether or not Kellen would try anything while they were. At some point he must've dozed off, because the next thing he knew, Raz was shaking him awake, or at least he assumed it was Raz, everything was completely dark and there was a strange buzzing sound coming from behind the door.

XXX

Man I'm good, I updated my story and it only took me…three years. Hell yeah. Wow, has it been a long time. I kind of dedicated this summer to finishing stuff, since I'm graduating college at the end of next year and I'll have to spend most of my time actually trying to find a job and stuff. (blech.)

I started with this story because I re played Psychonauts recently and managed to get all obsessed with it again. Some of the other stories are going to be trickier.

Also my writing has changed a lot in three years, so I've actually read this story twice in the last couple of weeks and edited it a bunch from the beginning. There's probably still a whole lot wrong with it but it's not as bad as it was. (I'm afraid to read some of my older fics. I'm saving the one from 2006 for last; because I have a feeling my writing is going to be WRETCHED)

Anyways, I'm assuming that most of the people reading this now, are not the people who read it before, so none of what I just said really matters. Oh well. I'll update soon.


	29. All Systems Down

Chapter 29:

All Systems Down

Lili was walking down a strange corridor. The walls were made out of some kind of metal and were emanating a strange purplish glow, as if the light were being squeezed from them. The corridor was packed with doors that seemed to have melted into the wall. There were windows in the doors, but they were foggy, so that the only thing one could see were indistinct shapes. Lili also found that as she progressed down it, the hallway twisted sickly. If Raz had been there he might've compared it to the way the floors twisted in Thorney Towers, or the streets in Boyd's sick mind. Because of this distortion she was sometimes walking on the walls or the ceiling.

There was a sound too; a low irritating sound, like faulty electric, a distant humming. It was driving her crazy.

Lili halted after walking for what felt like hours. The hall split into two separate directions. She eyed them both quizzically, but could see no distinct difference between them.

_It's like House of Leaves or something. _She thought with some annoyance. Finally she picked one at random and started down it. Her selection was rewarded after she trekked down another half a mile of corridor. There was an open door. It looked as if it had been forced open. The frame of the doorway was cracked and damaged and wires spat in the hall.

The inside of the room made Lili think the words 'electrotherapy' and perhaps more frightening 'dentists office.' Although this thought may have come because it reminded her of Dr. Loboto's tower, at a second glance it was very clearly not a dentists office. There was a bed in the center and someone was occupying it, but a good portion of their upper body was concealed by a large helmet, which looked a bit like a ladies hair dryer in a fancy spa, but probably would have gotten the place shut down immediately, had anyone actually try to use it to dry there hair. It looked as if, at one point dozens of wires had been attached to the weird hairdryer thing. Now they were lying in tangles on the floor. There was only one still attached, and it was chewed up to the point where touching it would probably result in a nasty shock.

Lili approached the figure carefully, and with steady hands, pulled the helmet up enough to get a look underneath. She stood back a little.

"Raz." She said, before reaching forward to touch his face. His eyelids flickered open and she met his gaze. She moved her hand from his face to the single wire still attached to the helmet, intending to pull it loose, but before she could he reached up and took her hand gently. He pulled it back towards him.

"You can't do anything right now. You aren't here for real."

"Where are we?" She asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." She opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off when a loud alarm sounded.

"What's that?" She asked, as she pulled her hand away from his.

"It isn't part of the dream." He responded wearily. "You'd better wake up, something's happened."

XXX

Lili opened her eyes in darkness, the only light was faint and red and it was flashing madly. She could also hear the alarm from her dream. For a moment she wondered if she was still asleep. Then she started hearing movement from beyond her door and the inquiring voices of agents coming from their rooms and shouting confusedly. She sat up and threw off her covers.

After getting dress and tying her hair up hurriedly she exited into the hall.

"Hey, what's going on?" She asked as an agent hurried past her, for a moment he looked annoyed, but after identifying her as Truman Zanotto's daughter he halted.

"The security just shut down all of the sudden and all of the power is out."

"What about the backup systems?"

"Haven't kicked in yet." He said with concern. "You may want to stay in your room, Miss Zanotto. This could be dangerous." He added before hurrying off and fortunately not seeing Lili's returned expression. She saw Sasha and Milla further down the hall and headed toward them. Sasha appeared to be talking to someone telepathically. Beside him, Milla was eyeing him with unease. Lili noticed that despite not having much time to get ready, the older woman still looked fabulous.

"Hey." She said. Milla smiled worriedly at her.

"Looks as if I won't be getting that beauty sleep after all, eh darling?"

"This is very serious." Sasha said, to whoever he was speaking to. "I don't recall ever losing all of our security at once before and with the regularity fence down, anyone could teleport into the facilities."

"How long have the systems been off?" Lili asked.

"Not long, but no one can figure out why they went off in the first place." Milla said. "All of a sudden, poof, no power."

"Where's the alarm coming from?" Lili asked.

"It's connected to an outside source. Truman set up a digital frequency for emergency situations. If we could reach the controls we could get some of the systems back on, but when the power went out all of the big safety doors shut us out of the control room. I guess it's supposed to be a safety measure, but to be honest, darling I think there are a few flaws with the idea."

"Our security system shuts us out of the security room when it's on the fritz?" Lili asked bewilderedly. "Who designed that for us? Isn't there a way to overrun it or something?"

"It isn't supposed to shut us out." Sasha said with some frustration, apparently finished with his conversation. "If more then one of our systems goes down due to outside tampering the room shuts itself off to keep the perpetrator inside long enough for us to retrieve them, but we're supposed to have three or four backup systems. For some reason they all went out at once, it should be impossible. Believe me, if we get it turned back on, I'll have a word with Truman about the design."

"Okay, what do we do now?"

"I think you should return to your room. There's no telling who could get in here now. Let us sort this out…"

"Hey, I'm not a Psychadet anymore." Lili returned angrily. "You can't leave me out of all of the good stuff." Sasha sighed.

"Miss Zanotto, for now, we don't even know what's going on. You may be a Psychonaut, but you have very little experience in the field. Let us get our bearings and then, if we need you, you will be notified." He said. He nodded to Milla and started down the hall.

Milla placed her hand on Lili's shoulder.

"I know it's hard to sit around with all of this excitement going on, but it is for your own good. You'll be able to join us soon. Until then, you must be patient." She said before following Sasha. Lili tightened her jaw. She eyed her bedroom door with a frown.

_Yeah right. _She thought before heading down the hallway in the opposite direction towards the GPC.

XXX

"Why is it so dark." Stephen asked a little shakily. He couldn't see a thing. He couldn't even make out the outline of his own hands.

"I don't know. There's an alarm going off too." Raz's voice said from somewhere nearby. "It's kind of faint in here though."

If Stephen thought it was claustrophobic in here before, it was nothing compared to how it was now. One time when he had been much younger he'd gone with his family to Niagra Falls. There had been a tourist attraction, some sort of haunted house, but rather then being filled with scary stuff it had been pitch black apart from a tiny red light on the ceiling, which marked the various corridors. It was hard to tell how big it was or how long the halls were, for all he knew it might have just been leading people in a circle, but in the dark it was only to easy to imagine a room of impossible size.

His father had led him in and then, for whatever reason had left him, whether it was to toughen him up, or just because Stephen had pissed him off that day. Around him, people were making noises and grabbing at him, presumably to add to the experience. Eventually someone had to come in and get him because he had backed up against the wall and was hyperventilating. Right now the GPC reminded him of that place.

"Hey! Is anyone out there?" Stephen jumped as Raz's voice cut through his memories. Although he couldn't be sure, Stephen assumed that Raz was standing at the door. "Hello?" The older boy sighed. Stephen got to his feet shakily and attempted to head in the direction of his voice. He bumped into Raz a moment later.

"Sorry."

"Are you two still in there?" Came a muffled voice from the other side. It sounded like it belonged to an older man and Raz didn't recognize it.

"Uh yeah, what's going on? Why is the power out?"

"Just stay put, the situation is under control."

"Hey, Mr. Zanotto said we're not prisoners here, if something's going on…"

"I said stay put! For all I know you had something to do with this."

"From in here?"

"All I know is nothing like this happened before and I'm not about to…" There was a brief crashing sound and then a grunt and silence.

Raz frowned as the door made a loud clicking noise and began to swing open. Stephen was yanked back by the older boy and in the faint red light that entered the doorway he saw Raz had raised his hand to his forehead and was wearing a very focused expression.

"If you shoot me, I'll set you on fire." Lili said pointedly as she pushed the door open the rest way. Raz relaxed.

"What did you do with the guy who was watching us?" He asked as he straightened and motioned for Stephen to precede him through the door, which the younger boy did gratefully.

"He'll be fine." She responded casually. "All of the power in Psychonauts Headquarters is off. No one knows how and there's no way to get it turned back on unless we can figure out how to get into the security room. Right now anyone who can teleport can get into HQ."

"Then Kellen's behind this." Raz said, suddenly serious.

"I think so too. Listen, Raz, I think I know how to get into the control room, but I need your help. And we need to get Cruller. They set him up in the Infirmary." Raz nodded. "Um, maybe he should stay here." She added, while indicating Stephen.

"Nah, he'll be fine. More minds are better." Raz said while clapping a hand on Stephen's shoulder and causing the boy to jump a little. Lili looked at him doubtfully for a moment before shrugging.

"All right. Come on." She said before heading down the hall.

XXX

Back at TCLC, Andrea was standing in Kellen's office, looking down at the cafeteria where all of the children were sitting at the tables, slack jawed. Behind her were Kellen's other top agents.

Andrea's earpiece gave out a faint whine. She pressed a button on the side of it.

"I'm here, Kellen."

"It's all set, the security is down, go ahead and pull the switch. Call me back when you're finished."

"Yessir." She said. She opened a small metal door on Kellen's wall, which to the untrained eye would have looked like a fuse box. Inside were two levers. One was labeled **Wake Up Call**, the other was labeled **Cathexis**. She flipped the second and watched as an eerie glow overtook the cafeteria. After a few moments she flipped the switch off again.

"All finished, Kellen." She said, talking into her earpiece once more.

"Very well, preparing for mass extraction."

XXX

When the power had gone out, Cruller had still been awake. He'd been moved down to the Infirmary at Truman's insistence and since he didn't have a sanctuary to go back to, he'd conceded grudgingly. The setup felt too much like a nursing home to him and the nurses treated him as if he might suddenly take to wearing his underpants on his head.

There was no one there now because everyone had panicked when security had gone down. Ford was lying with his eyes closed, but he wasn't trying to sleep. Currently he was sending his mind out to see if he could detect Kellen.

Before him, Raz and Lili had come back to headquarters he'd managed to get a small amount of psitanium that he could carry with him. So far it seemed to be working, but he wasn't sure how much longer it would be before he reverted to one of his other personalities.

Ford was a pro when it came to mind reading. He'd been doing it for decades, but when he was this far away from the psitanium mother load his psyche faltered a little. It didn't help that he was in a place with hundreds of other psychics, all of whom were in some state of awareness or panic.

Through his concentration, Ford became aware of the door to the infirmary sliding open. He opened his eyes and sat up. There was no one in the room and he couldn't sense anyone. Ford frowned.

"Who's there?" Raz and Lili let their invisibility drop. Ford relaxed.

"You two scared the bejeezes outta me." He said. "Hey, I heard they threw you in the GPC. Kind of figured it wouldn't hold you for long." He added while nodding to Raz, who smiled a little.

"Lili got me out. We need to go before someone comes back to check on you." Ford stood.

"Gladly, this place is driving me crazy." He pocketed his Psitanium and followed them back out into the hall. Stephen was standing there nervously.

"Who's the youngun?"

"This is Stephen. He's from Kellen's school. Well, he was. He's a Psychadet now. Stephen this is Agent Cruller." Raz said.

"Ah, Sasha and Milla said they caught a spy. I'm assuming that was you. How do you do, son?"

"H-hello." Stephen said, wide eyed.

"No need to be nervous, I don't bite. I might set you on fire if you get on my nerves, but you seem like a nice enough kid for now." He turned back towards Raz and Lili.

"I assume you didn't come get me because you like my company, so what's the plan?"

"I think I can get into the control room." Lili said. "But I don't know how to work the controls."

"All the big doors are shut."

"There's a ventilation system that runs through the whole building. I can go through that."

"You know the way?"

"Not yet." Lili said, while shaking her head. "But I can find out."

XXX

Actually a bit shorter then I would have liked, but I wanted to update in a reasonable time, considering how long the last one took me. Thanks for the reviews ^^ I'm glad some people are still reading this.

Also, back when I was first writing this story I really wanted to do character sheets for it, but never managed to do anything I really liked. When I decided to start updating again, I finally drew them out, so if you want to see all of the characters from Cerebral Soldiers I have put the links up on my profile page. (I can't include links in the actual chapter.)


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